That is a kind of negativism and backwardness that is more appropriate to the RFL than to Australia.

There will certainly be Perth and Brisbane/South Queensland NRL teams in 2018. But there can be an expansion to NZ (probably Wellington) and PNG shortly thereafter due to the fact that there is a non-Australian players base to build the PNG and NZ teams around in the near future. It only requires 4 or 5 Aussies in each of the PNG and NZ sides to make the teams viable. The money is there in Wellington, and in PNG, where the government and private corporations will gladly stump up the cash. The main challenge in PNG is in building a new stadium and a few budget hotel complexes that are secure for Australian and Kiwi fan visitors. Wellington and PNG will bring the number of NRL clubs to 20.

I would hope that there would be admissions to the NRL of teams from Christchurch and Adelaide in 2025. They will balance out the NRL nationally and internationally with 22 clubs.

The final candidates -- from Central Queensland or South Queensland, and Fiji -- are possible in 2030. That would make the NRL a 24 club competition, with each club playing each other club once, and the home and away for each set of clashes alternating each year.

Build a 100k seater in port moresby and they would fill it every week for the NRL if prices are okay, it's time to give this country what it deserves.....

I meant to say 10k. Then again, they probably could fill 100k too.

They are building a 25k stadium for the pacific games. That is not the issue. Value to the NRL TV rights, safety (there is a reason the hunters are not playing in moresby), ability to generate enough funds sustainably and playing strength with no imports are much much bigger issues for them. Would love to see it but it isn't going to happen ianytime soon, or in the the not so soon.

They need 10 k seating -- for the middle class and visiting fans --- and 20 k standing room for the non-middle class locals. That would be a 30 k capacity, which I think could be controllable.

The NRL (and their media partners/corporates/sponsors) will see far more value in placing teams in CQ, Brisbane II, Adelaide, Tasmania, New Zealand II and III....even the wilds of Perth long before PNG gets a look in. The insurance premiums alone for visiting players would be crippling.....the damage that could be done by 1 negative event at a game over there will far outweigh any "supposed" positives.

As for a NRL side form PNG doing "wonders for their game" I give you exhibit A:
Catalan Dragons and the performances of the French national side since they joined SL in 2006......Scotland, Wales and Ireland they can beat, but the Island sides and the big 3 are out of their league.

It was on telly here in Sydney yesterday afternoon. They did alright. Was good to watch.

I saw the PNG national team having a training session at Narrabeen before the World Cup. They all look the same size and build, it was hard to identify who would play where. Anyway what made the RL heart warmer was to see the players' faces when Manly finished training and a couple of the more famous players like Watmough, Brett Stewart, Wolfman and Cherry-Evans just walked over to say hello and welcome them. It was like they just met their gods. Massive smiles and loads of photos on their phones. Wonderful stuff.

Every game the Hunters play will be broadcast on PNG TV with local commentary.
There is already speculation that they will be the top rated shows in PNG.

www.pngfacts.com/5/post/2014/03/ ... s-all.html

www.pngfacts.com/5/post/2014/03/ ... s-all.html

I saw the last ten minutes of the game at the Trinity Hotel in Sydney's Surry Hills, in the company of scores of screaming Sydneysiders, and a handful of sophisticated people from the French consulate. I must say that the PNG Hunters were impressive on the day, and they can still improve!

Fiji are looking into doing this too.
On the face of it you wouldn't think Fiji would have the local talent to compete at this level, but if they drafted in players like Groome, Vunakece, Wes Naiqama and others who play at this level in other sides they could make a very competitive side and introduce players to Australian competition.

Where would Fiji RL find $2million a year?

Quote: JB Down Under "Where would Fiji RL find $2million a year?'" www.mailife.com.fj/vodafone-rene ... onsorship/ Deals like this with Vodafone will certainly help.

Quote: JB Down Under "Where would Fiji RL find $2million a year?'" www.mailife.com.fj/vodafone-rene ... onsorship/ Deals like this with Vodafone will certainly help.

Still a big gap that they would find impossible to fill financially at the moment. They would be a good 10 years plus away from coming close to having enough qland cup standard players to form a team. Be good to see eventually though.

Unlike PNG, Fiji has a thriving tourism industry, and it would pay for them to encourage sports tourism. Even if they were just encouraging the 50k Fijians living in Australia to travel home more often.
In short, it would take a government grant to get it happening and that isn't out of the question at all.
As to player strength, the local comp couldn't produce a competitive side right now, but if you could get all the Fijian talent in the lower grades in Australia to commit they could win the qld cup this year - and putting the two sources together - they could get a side together that would do the job and have unlimited potential for improvement.
Players like Marika Koroibete and Etu Nabuli show that there are guys over there who just need some coaching and some competition and they can quickly rise to NRL standard.
It wouldn't be easy to get this happening, but it is far from impossible.