The incredible story of the journey of rugby league in Papua New Guinea has received its ultimate end-result with the announcement that the country will join the National Rugby League in 2028, says NRL Bid Chief Executive Andrew Hill.
Mr. Hill said today in a media statement that the decision is an amazing boost not only for the people of PNG, but also the Pacific Nations as a whole.
“Months of speculation were today confirmed with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Papua New Guinea Prime Minister James Marape standing together in Sydney to announce the news that will thrill a nation of people where rugby league is the national sport and unites the country,” he said.
A tremendous amount of work has taken place behind the scenes to make this decision possible, he said.
“With an incredible talent pool of male and female players throughout the country a structure needed to be put in place to support the development of these players.
CEO Hill and Chairman Wapu Sonk were tasked with the job of putting the pieces in place that would create a structure that would be the envy of any club in the NRL.
This started with the appointment of the highly credentialled Joe Grima to head up the pathways program. An Academy program was created to nurture the best 15, 17 and 19-year-old players and to expand the geographical reach to create training centers throughout the country.
An annual tournament was then created to allow the best players in the country to showcase their skills on a national platform that was televised for the first time.
The success of the new structure was then highlighted when the Junior Kumuls were able to draw 22-all with the Australian Schoolboys side in Port Moresby in October, showcasing the major steps forward that had taken place in the skills levels and fitness of the players.
With the structures and programs now in place, attention can move to creating a franchise that can thrive in the NRL.
Mr. Hill said he was delighted that an enormous amount of hard work by many people had led to this point: “Rugby League in PNG is extremely thankful to both the Papua New Guinea and Australian Governments.
There is no doubt that their support was a game changer. We are also indebted to Peter V’Landys, Andrew Abdo and the ARLC for their vision and commitment to PNG and the Pacific.
“PNG is in the incredible position of being the only country in the world where rugby league is the national game.
It brings together people from all backgrounds and locations under one banner. When you have a population that can unite behind one cause, it is incredibly powerful, and we have the potential to create the largest fan base of any other current NRL team.”
NRL Bid Chairman Wapu Sonk was equally as effusive about what the news would mean to the people of PNG: “We can’t wait for the world to see the beauty of this great country and everything that it has to offer. It is a chance for our country to showcase itself to the world through a sport that unites the nation.
“This is now the starting point for a lot of hard work. There is much to do to make sure that we are ready to go in 2028, but I am confident that when we run out for our first match, we will be ready and the whole country will be behind us.”