The ARLC and Australian government are reportedly discussing a bold expansion project to base the NRL’s 18th team out of Port Moresby in Papua New Guinea.
However, league legend Scott Sattler has raised major concerns surrounding funding for the new franchise.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is reportedly backing the move and has reportedly tabled a package which would see $60 million per year injected in to the country over 10 years.
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The $600 million investment reportedly won’t solely focus on rugby league, with funds being used to strengthen the nation socially and economically.
But Sattler believes the future of the funding could come in to question if Albanese only serves a single term.
“I don’t think we need to give (PNG) an 18th licence,” Sattler said on SEN.
“We definitely don’t need Anthony Albanese sticking his nose in the trough.
“If he’s a one-term Prime Minister and the next Prime Minister comes in and doesn’t want to give money to a bid of that nature, what happens then?
“You’re left carrying the bag, I think it’s fraught with danger.”
While Sattler isn’t in favour of a new franchise being based in PNG, he still believes NRL games should be played in the Pacific as a means of growing the sport.
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“We can still keep taking games to PNG, what we need to do is inject millions of dollars into their pathway projects,” Sattler added.
“To be able to get not just (male) rugby league players but (to) build the female game up there, getting athletes out of there and turning them into NRL players.
“Not just rugby league players but athletes in all sports and canvassing them, then putting them into some sort of pathway to develop them into rugby league, the AFL has been doing it for years.
“We need to be doing it as (a sport) up in PNG and just keep taking NRL games up there.”
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