PNG have managed to get a side into the Queensland cup (2nd tier) for 2014 and will be playing home games in PNG.

Great news for the game and the country.

Great news.

If they can get a new stadium built in Port Moresby, then PNG should be given an NRL fanchise by 2017, along with Wellington, NZ.

Running before walking springs to mind.

They don't need to build a stadium that is up to firstworld standards of comfort - in fact - that would be silly.
If you built a 20k all seated stadium in a city where no more than 4 or 5k could afford to pay 20 dollars for a seat, you would just an empty stadium and a riot every week.
All they need is a ground with a grandstand that can sit 5k and some great big hills where 15 or 20k can sit or stand for 5 dollars a shot.

Aren't the plans in for a stadium upgrade for 2015 or has it started?

Great news.A real rugby League mad country and they deserve to get regular top class action on their doorstep.

It will still take a while, but this is a step in the right direction.

The average wage is only about $50 per week so you are right, the prices have to be low.

Thats great news hear.

Terrific news.
I've never understood why Aussie rl doesn't make a big move into the Pacific Islands.I may be wrong but I would have thought for a relatively small amount of money,they could seriously develope local/domestic leagues in Tonga,Samoa,Figi etc.I'm sure they would more than get a return on their money by developing local talent and significantly improving international rl. - am I wrong here?

Good news, get some scouts out there London!

The Pacific Islands are very basic places where most of the people still live in native villages.
They have no infrastructure.

Its pretty hard to develop places that are not developed economically or even have more than one or two basic roads.
Most of the people in the country are subsistence farmers, the rich man has two Pigs and a Goat.

you are not!

The growth in the game in Fiji in the last few years is not being generated by money spent by the RLIF, who give them a tiny 15k a year, but by the prospect that Fiji players can become professional players and make good money. Young Fijians dream of being the next Aku Uate or Marika Koroibete and making a million dollars before they are 25. That is why League has taken off in Fiji.

In short, we don't need to give them money - we need to provide opportunities for players from Tonga, Samoa, New Caledonia, Vanuatu, the Solomon Islands etc etc and they will take up League in the blink of an eye.

Quote ="richie166"Good news, get some scouts out there London!'" Too late, HKR already have one! Here is the athletics stadium being built that will presumable host RL in the future. It is still way too small to satisfy the RL demand www.onepng.com/2013/02/pngs-nati ... raded.html

Quote ="richie166"Good news, get some scouts out there London!'" Too late, HKR already have one! Here is the athletics stadium being built that will presumable host RL in the future. It is still way too small to satisfy the RL demand www.onepng.com/2013/02/pngs-nati ... raded.html

Whilst the locals would struggle to afford a $20 ticket, would Austrailians travel there to watch their team?

I believe security is an issue in PNG?

What if any new stadium was build with an a joining hospitality complex to host a thousand (or so) away fans?
Away fans could take package weekend trips to the complex, enjoy some time in a secure environment with no travel complications to the game - pool, cinema, bars and restaurants and get a ticket for the game. Transfers from the airport would be simple.
The hotel could empty out directly into a segregated stand at the stadium.

The same complex could have a section for the away team squad.

This would be one section of the stadium, the rest could be built in a frugal manner to allow cheap tickets to walk up spectators from the local area.

Port Moresby has a population of 250K. Given the reports of how RL crazy these guys are, would it be crazy to assume you could be getting 25K home crowds if the tickets wee affordable?

Next thing you know, they're improving their youth development and providing more and more quality players to the pool. All of a sudden, they're a genuine threat to the international status quo.

Whilst Gutterfax was quick to condem the notion that RL could start to encroach on RU in NZ, the smaller nations of Samoa, Tonga and Fiji could be ripe pickings for the new cashed up Australian Rugby league, with a centre of excellence and investment in the local leagues in each country. Maybe even using a feeder club system to the NRL teams (if Melbourne's u20s are entirely "Mozzies", this may be attractive to some clubs. It'll possibly be much better value for money than the same set up they'll have in Aus)?
Given their location, does the Aussie media get much viewing by these island nations? If so, you'd have thought league was already getting the exposure to out strip union.
I think the populations of these nations is too low and too spread out to expect any sort of NRL franchise to ever succeed, but these are the sort of nations that can add a lot to our game from a playing perspective, but it would also help strengthen our international game (assuming they don't all keep choosing Australia) in the face of Rugger Union.

EDIT. I didn't particularly realise how much bigger the population of Fiji was than that of Samoa, Tonga etc.
Its got a total population closing in on 1 million and has a couple of decent sized municipal areas in Suva and Nasinu. Whether you'd get a good turn out for exhibitions games, I'm not sure, but there certainly must be potential.

We in European RL are getting left behind by our RU opponents, but if we were lucky, the more successful Aussies will develop regions like this and boost our international game and some positive effect may trickle through to us.

50k fans at $3 a ticket would bring in more $'s than most NRL clubs make on gate receipts. They just need the stadium to fit them in!

Will they get 1 in 5 people to every game?

Im sure that we could do a huge amount more with the Pacific Islands.

I can’t imagine players are really ever likely to complain about going to an island paradise for a few weeks to play RL and I can well imagine that if Wales are willing to pay hundreds of thousands to put on the Magic Weekend, then somewhere like Fiji would be interested in an enlarged WCC or international tour.

7 million in png. NQ cowboys get people travelling a day to get to games from FAQ Islands, I'm sure they could for NRL and test matches.

Quote ="SmokeyTA"Im sure that we could do a huge amount more with the Pacific Islands. I can’t imagine players are really ever likely to complain about going to an island paradise for a few weeks to play RL and I can well imagine that if Wales are willing to pay hundreds of thousands to put on the Magic Weekend, then somewhere like Fiji would be interested in an enlarged WCC or international tour.'" So much untapped potential. www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sport/ ... 6532782944

Quote ="SmokeyTA"Im sure that we could do a huge amount more with the Pacific Islands. I can’t imagine players are really ever likely to complain about going to an island paradise for a few weeks to play RL and I can well imagine that if Wales are willing to pay hundreds of thousands to put on the Magic Weekend, then somewhere like Fiji would be interested in an enlarged WCC or international tour.'" So much untapped potential. www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sport/ ... 6532782944

If they're as passionate as people say they are I don't see why not. It's not unheard of in sport. Can think of several British football teams who've had an average attendance close to that, relative to the size of the towns they're representing.

Burnley Football Club has an average attendance of around 15,000. Burnley has about 80,000 residents. Admittedly support is drawn from a few surrounding towns (Padiham, Brierfield, Colne, etc) but it's hardly a high profile team that attracts glory hunters. It shows that 1/5 or even 1/4 is a possibility if the sport is big enough.

I think a nation like PNG, if they're as mad for rugby league as people reckon they are, could hit about 50,000 a game if a team played at home in Port Moresby. I don't think a PNG team in the NRL is likely for a few reasons, but if they had a team I don't think huge crowds would be an issue. Especially as I don't really see any competition - It's hardly like England or Australia where there are several large sports competing.