PNG launching NRL bid

By PARKER TAMBUA
THE country is launching a bid to join Australia’s National Rugby League (NRL) as the competition’s 18th team by the 2025 season with the Government pledging its support.
The 17th team are The Dolphins who will enter the world’s toughest rugby league competition next year.
Sports Minister Wesley Raminai said during the launch in Port Moresby yesterday that the Government had allocated K30 million for the bid project which would be used over the next three years.
He said Papua New Guinea had a good chance of getting the nod for its bid as it had ticked most of the requirements of the Australian Rugby League (ARL) and NRL.
“The Government has invested significantly in sports infrastructure since 2015 which gave us the now renamed Santos National Football Stadium,” Raminai said.
“The depth of talents we have can be seen with the Kumuls now ranked fifth in the world, and SP Hunters winning the 2017 Queensland Intrust Super Cup (now Hostplus Cup). We are confident that we will be ready to become the 18th NRL team.”
PNG Rugby Football League (PNGRFL) chairman Sandis Tsaka said the growth of rugby league in the last eight years had placed PNG in a favourable position to meet NRL’s minimum requirements.
The requirements were governance and risk, financial strength, commercial strategy, football competitiveness, participation and pathways.
“We know that it will be a competitive process with other teams from Australia and New Zealand also bidding for the spot,” Tsaka said.
“But we are confident that our bid will be successful, given the investments and partnerships we have developed for the game in PNG,” Tsaka said.
“We have the massive potential for growth and expansion of the game in PNG and the Pacific market.
“We thank the Government and Prime Minister James Marape for partnering in this bid.
“The cost of running this project will be significantly more than K30 million, that is why we have to work around with our partners.
“Once we demonstrate credentials as a prospective participant, it will costs more, so that is why we will be planning on commercial strategies going forward.”
The board of the PNG NRL Bid was also announced during the launch.
It includes Ian Tarutia (representing Port Moresby’s business community), Kumul Petroleum managing director Wapu Sonk, PNGRFL chief executive Stanley Hondina, PNG Sports Foundation chief executive Albert Veratau and Stan Joyce.