PNG NRL Bid gathers pace!

I was fortunate enough to be able to discuss their bid with one of the people who put it together and from that discussion I am VERY confident they could easily compete in the NRL by the end of the decade. The bid is comprehensive and deals with all of the issues raised by people who write them off. Some of the details are as follows:

Finance:
The PNG government will buy the TV rights from the NRL for the same amount as the NRL currently receives from New Zealand TV and then on-sell it or put it on its national broadcaster. This will mean the club will more than pay its way in the NRL's eyes. Its club grant back to the club, depending on what the club grant is by then, will be LESS than they will receive from PNG.
The club already has a string of sponsors, including Coca-Cola Amatil as major sponsor and Holiday Inn, Airlines PNG, as well as local media, insurance and legal companies and a motor dealership chain. That's before they even get a team.
They will be the highest supported club in the NRL and should fill the stadium for every game.
The cost of running a club there is lower than an Australian club because things like wages and other costs are very low locally. Even local player contracts need not be high because the NRL minimum wage is a relative fortune in PNG.

Logistics:
The government will help build a new stadium on the edge of Port Moresby based loosely on the Gold Coast's 27,500 capacity Skilled Park stadium.
The stadium precinct will feature hotel accommodation in which visiting teams and auxillary people like referees and media people will stay and train during their visit.

On-field:
The club has no real intention of signing players from Australia in any great number. They believe they have the talent in PNG but just lack the development structures to bring them from under 14s and 16s level up to Toyota Cup and NRL level. And NRL structures and money would allow that to happen.
They have reintroduced the game to schools and implemented a talent identification system (as the OP's story suggests) to start the process of developing local talent.
A year or two in the Queensland Cup will aid the process but they don't want to be put in the Q Cup and just left there forever.

In return the government sees the club as the pinnacle of a social and economic policy to improve things like health and education, unite a country that is more culturally and racially diverse than most, give people from PNG opportunities to succeed in sport and bring investment to the country. The government will help fund its plans through mining royalties as that industry continues to grow in the country.

Benefits to the NRL and RL in general:
Millions of dollars per year for TV rights to PNG.
A whole new talent pool which will not dilute the standard of Australian clubs like other new clubs do.
An increased audience in a new market (one that the AFL can't boast).
New sponsors to the game.
A club that can boast a fand base of anywhere up to seven million people in a country where the bulk of the population is under 25 years of age and growing rapidly.
A professional structure to develop PNG players to professional standards which will improve the Kumuls team significantly at Test level.

Benefits to PNG:
A team that unites all the people of the country regardless of racial, cultural or tribal divides.
A catalyst to engage children in school. When RL was reintroduced school attendance went up 50% among boys.
A vehicle for health campaigns, such as the anti-AIDS campaign the Prime Minister's XIII game already promotes.
Economic benefits related to construction, on-going administration, exposure to international audiences etc as well as to the people who directly profit from player and staff wages.

The bid is well thought-out and ensures the club will be viable and sustainable. All it needs is the green light from the NRL so it can really kick-start the process, such as stadium construction and major player development work. If that happens the club should be ready by 2020 or even before.