Tonight on 7.30 on ABC TV, there was a story on Papua New Guinea’s bid for the 18th NRL team licence.
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Not on board with this. It’s becoming too much to be honest. This is meant to be our nations game. What’s next? A Chinese team? An American team? A Balinese team?
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Why not?
PNG already play in the QRL and Rugby League is the national sport of PNG.
If New Zealand can field a team for the NRL, i don’t see why PNG can’t.
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Because then where will it end?
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Dude, I honestly don’t see your point. They already get a huge number of players from there as it is plus the worriers are already in there so to me it makes sense.
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So which country do you want to include next after PNG?
Fiji hahah Fiji either do or did have a team in NSW Cup.
Perth, then Adelaide. Then, once we’ve done with bizarre foreign cultures, we can go back to Pacific nations who actually play league.
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I think that Perth and Adelaide deserve a team in the NATIONAL Rugby League competition first. Would a second team from Melbourne (or Victoria) happen in the future too? Eventually. Then I would consider a PNG team or a second team from NZ enter.
The A-League Men will have a second team from NZ join their comp from i think as early as next season. Will be interesting to see how that turns out…
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I agree to an extent… My order of expansion beyond the current 17 teams would be
- Perth
- Pacific/PNG Combined side
- Wellington
Not convinced there is enough of an appetite or population in Adelaide for a team there or a 2nd Melbourne team… if there is to be one, I think it would be a relocated team or at the expense of an existing one (maybe Wests Tigers with the way they’ve been going) .
Agree with a definite team from Perth first.
To be honest, im in two minds about Adelaide also. Not strong enough for the time being. As for a second Melbourne team, eventually it will happen. That could be how the GWS Giants is to Sydney in the AFL? Noone will care for them 
I can’t wait for the Sharks to just relocate already… I’m joking.
But YES, poor Wests Tigers with how things are going with them in recent times. Worrying times for them at the moment.
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I know!
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Tbh, I would love to see the PNG or PNG/Pacific side first then go from there. What they do after that though I’m not sure. They probably have to go to Perth at some point but whether they can make it work is another question.
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I’m sure Bronx fans would be laughing at me, but I just can’t see this happening - especially in AFL heartland.
Only possible way to do this is make the most of the growth corridors in the west and/or south east, but then that makes it tricky to find a cohesive identity.
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My order of expansion would be
18. Perth
19. Combined PNG/Pacific Islands team
20. Northern Territory or Adelaide
One team from NZ is enough.
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I wouldn’t be surprised if a combined PNG/Pasifika team would fill the role of (half of) a “team from NZ”, much like Moana Pasifika in Super Rugby. And then that might end up enough.
Where you’d base them there is another matter as you really don’t want to end up with, say, the Warriors at Mt Smart and this team elsewhere in Auckland like North Harbour.
They had a team in the Ron Massey Cup (one level lower) with plans to move up to NSW Cup, but then they decided that they would make it an under-age team - so it is currently an U/21 team playing in NSW’s Jersey Flegg Cup.
Don’t think Fiji by itself would have the talent given the strength of rugby, Sevens included - I can see why they are thinking PNG/Pasifika combined though because I’m not sure PNG itself would bring enough cash in in spite of their fanaticism about the game. But distance itself would be less of an issue…
or rather, if Perth wouldn’t be then PNG isn’t; the latter is closer to Sydney.
I also wonder about stadium facilities up there, the games would need to be at night given the heat (much like Townsville) - the ground they used for some of the recent Pacific Championship matches didn’t look that flash, that would need an upgrade too.
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Something we missed from earlier this month - Panthers premiership star and New Zealand captain James Fisher-Harris claimed the Golden Boot Award as the best rugby league player in the world for 2023.
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Luai held a press conference at lunchtime today, confirming he would join the Tigers in 2025 on a five-year deal.
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Nice score.
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