PNGRFL denies bid claim

NEWS in the Australian and New Zealand media last week that Cairns and Papua New Guinea were considering launching a joint bid for an NRL expansion licence was denied by the PNGRFL.
Reports on website rugbyleague.co.nz and the Australian Associated Press claimed that Cairns Mayor Bob Manning will fly to Sydney soon to meet NRL chief executive officer Todd Greenberg and ARLC chairman Peter Beattie to sound them out about the prerequisites any potential franchise would have to meet.
The report said: “AAP understands the possible joint bid between the far north Queensland city and the rugby league-mad island nation is in its infancy.
“Manning would not comment when approached by AAP, but it’s known he contacted Beattie soon after the former premier took over last month as head of the independent commission.”
“It’s believed Queensland Cup premiers, the PNG Hunters, form the other half of the bid.”
The report said Manning would meet Beattie and Greenberg in coming months to discuss the requirements of a potential team including finances, stadia and sponsors.
“There are numerous questions to be answered about an unprecedented joint venture across two countries – including where any potential team would play and train and how a region-sharing venture would work.”
Beattie is an unabashed fan of adding teams to the competition, last month using his inaugural media conference as ARLC chairman to proclaim the NRL must “expand or die”. While a second team in Brisbane and a Perth franchise are widely seen as the front-runners for potential 17th and 18th licences, Beattie says a PNG-Cairns side had plenty of potential.
“Don’t rule out PNG; you go to PNG and it’s the No.1 game; they’re folk heroes when they go there,” Beattie said.
“And if they’ve got a link to Cairns, that’s possible.
“The real ingredient is they’ve got to be financially viable. At this stage, I don’t have a favourite — we’ve got to work it through.
“Todd and I will meet with the mayor when he comes to see us. Let’s see what he’s got to say —we’ll listen to everybody.”
Cairns’ Barlow Park has a capacity of 18,000 and has hosted South Sydney games annually for the past five years, however would require an upgrade to be a regular NRL venue.
Likewise, the Hunter’s home ground the Oil Search National Football Stadium can fit in 15,000 fans and, last year, hosted World Cup games, but would need an upgrade.
Both regions are rugby league mad — the far north region has produced the likes of melbourne Storm and Queensland Maroons legend Billy Slater and Nate Myles, while the 13-man code is the national sport of PNG.
However, it’s questionable whether both could sustain NRL sides on their own and the potential bid is investigating whether a joint venture is viable.
However PNGRFL chairman Sandis Tsaka says they are not aware of any proposal on a joint NRL bid with any other city.
“The PNGRFL is not aware of and has not discussed any joint NRL bid with any other city to the NRL,” Tsaka said in a press release yesterday.
Tsaka said an NRL bid was a massive venture that would require substantial investment in resources and infrastructure capacity in terms of elite and junior development pathways and football infrastructure which PNG currently lacked and was still developing.
“The PNGRFL believes that a PNG NRL bid in the long run must serve the interests of the game in PNG and must be structured to support the growth and development of the sport in Papua New Guinea,” Tsaka said.
“We are currently progressing discussions with potential local partners with a view to addressing these issues and presenting our medium-term plans to the NRL,” Tsaka added.
He clarified the PNGRFL position amidst stories and reports in the Australian and social media of a possible joint Cairns – PNG NRL bid.
“The PNGRFL will advise of any PNG NRL Bid plans in due course and I hope this puts to rest any speculation and reports of any joint NRL bids with other cities,” he said.