PNG had several NRL/SL players in their team: Alexander Johnston (South Sydney), Edene Gebbie (South Sydney), Justin Olam (Melbourne), and David Mead (Catalans). There should be more to come after today's performance. Ipape looks like the real deal.

Talking of PNG players, there was a superb article on the BBC RL feed recently about the work that Stanley Gene had done back home.
Getting running water into his village and helping to set up a school for the local youngsters.
He was an excellent player but, the work done "back home" is absolutely top draw, what a bloke and a credit to the sport and to his country.

That ship has already sailed. The quality of SL has plummeted over the past decade, and shows no sign of improving.

The heartland towns along the M62 are dying fields for cultivating new talent, in part because of the soccer playing immigrants who have moved in. The only hope for increasing the talent pool for England to recruit from is to spend RFL development money in places like London and the surrounding areas of southern England, and in new areas like Newcastle where the Thunder has an active interested management and organisation in place. York might also be a place to focus on.

As for the Celtic nations, obviously there needs to be development work done in places like, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Cardiff, Swansea, Belfast and Dublin. It will take a decade to bear fruit, but if the work is not started now, nothing better will ever emerge.

Agree with the last post, why the he'll are we concerned about other countries rather than increasing grass roots in the UK counties to eventually strengthen the playing pool, all as the Pacific islands have slowly progressed but with solid results ???? Our talent pool is low for whatever reason, but these other countries will pool/pull on that talent with bigger higher salaries - unless we increase that talent pool our further demise is set to go down further. We still have blind not wife in charge @ the RFL !! Wanting short cuts !!!!

An absolute brilliant post to wind someone up.

Thanks. I just call it as I see it.

That's right ,you see it as an opportunity to wind up who you can with your constant twaddle.

Once Sooper Dooper League starts this 4-0 GB whitewash will be a distant memory....it will be nothing but the 'biggest hits' & 'amazing tries', courtesy of the Sky Sports commentary team.

Soccer playing immigrants you say? Nigel Farage missed that one. Maybe if they have a second vote they could use that.

Anyone who cites the PI growth of late as an example of how it happens take a closer look at the birth place of the players from Tonga, Samoa, Fiji, Cook Islands...even PNG to a smaller extent. These are heritage players are ANZAC born. It doesn't make them any less Tongan or Samoan BTW, but it does explain where these players learnt to play the game. Chances are they started off in school, then in the Auckland or NSW/Qland comps, as I say, after they attended schools where League was taught.

Try and find a school where RL is played ahead of Union in Samoa, Fiji or Tonga?

Find me thriving domestic competition in any of those Islands........ you won't.

The pseudo french troll saying the way forward is development offices in Dublin and Glasgow is just trolling. If Ireland, Scotland and Wales are to compete and develop interest in the game, then they need to throw the heritage net far and wide.

I am not a fan of heritage players, but put plainly, a team of Tongan born players would be annihilated by most NSW/Qlnd cup sides, so to grow interest in the game, we allow swapping of nations and teams with 98% heritage line ups, but unless we back this up with real money at grass roots level in the PI's, you may as well get them to play in Green and Gold and call them the Australian 3rd string.

PNG Hunters is one of 14 teams that plays in the Queensland Cup. The only team that does not have an affiliation with an NRL team.

WoW. You really are a racist Oker aren't you! All those brown fellows kicking footballs around is killing RL in the heartlands......boo..hiss....call Mr Argyle 2.0673828125:5