Papua New Guinea kept up their end of the bargain on Saturday night with a gutsy performance against England. And it is time for the ARL and RLIF to return the favour.
In order to get any real value from putting PNG into the group of death at this World Cup, it needs to be the start of a plan in which the experiences gained from this tournament are built upon in coming years.
It would be a complete waste of time if all the Kumuls had between now and the next World Cup was a yearly match against the Junior Kangaroos.
With the talk being that this tournament is already guaranteed of being a financial success, it is vital that PNG are at the front of queue when the next round of development funds are handed out.
While the next two matches may bring with them a harsher reality to Adrian Lam’s men, they certainly showed plenty of positives against England, and had it not been for a questionable forward pass call by referee Shane Hayne, they may have even pulled off an enormous upset.
The result will become academic in years to come. But hopefully the match will be remembered as the start of a new era for PNG rugby league.
Here are just a few ideas I would suggest for developing matches which include matches against the Kumuls:
• On the ANZAC test weekend, an Australia A side should line up against PNG.
• New Zealand should play tests against PNG.
• The Queensland Cup winners should play the champions of the PNG national competition.
• An NRL side should look at playing a trial match in PNG.
The options are varied, and given the absolute devotion to rugby league in PNG, you would think it would be hard to go wrong.
But the key is that action is needed.
With Samoa, Tonga and Fiji also looking to develop their international calendar, then these sides should all be involved in matches with the Kumuls. While, if an Aboriginal representative side is also to become a more regular feature, then that looks like another good fit.
Add the New Zealand Maori side to the equation as well.
Of course, it’s all very easy to talk about development at times like this when players aren’t being held tight by NRL and Super League sides. But in the end there is no excuse for not doing anything.
Plenty of people in rugby union are always talking about the frustration that comes around every four years when a Rugby Union World Cup is followed by plenty of rhetoric about bring Argentina into the Tri Nations and Super 14 competition, yet little ever seems to happen on that front.
Rugby league should ensure it doesn’t fall into the same trap. And if there is one thing that rugby league administrators can often do very well, it is offer hollow rhetoric.
There are rumblings about a PNG side in the NRL, but plenty can be done before that to assist the game, which will also be a lot easier to achieve.
Let’s hope that the talk of an NRL franchise doesn’t become a distraction in the short term when what is really needed are just more matches.
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