Has international rugby league let PNG down?

Cook Islands also has rugby league as the national sport, editor.

PNG needs to play a Prime Minister's XIII test against New Zealand every year as well as the one it plays annually against Australia. Plus PNG just needs to field an NRL side as well. That is the only concrete way PNG can get up to scratch. It's the only nation in the world where Rugby League is the National Sport so if these three basic ideas are adhered to, then it may have a chance to progress.

yea but samoa tonga and fiji dont come from a real dangerous country, PNG is well known to the world (mainly port moresby the capital for being rated worlds most dangerous city back in 2005) and has been in the top 5 for the last 10 years. The other islands dont have to face these challenges and corruption PNG do!!!

The answer is in two words.... JUNIOR DEVELOPMENT. Beware the sleeping giant. It is only a matter of time before talented athletes from this amazing country are given the support they need to become international class in any sport. Rugby League is king at the moment even with all the difficulties mentioned (infrastructure, facitlities, corruption, infighting, etc etc etc) but as I observed, many sports are seeing the potential of athletes in PNG and are putting money into junior development that will eventually reap rewards. I helped run the bemobile cup in PNG for two years and witnessed growing support for cricket, AFL, rugby union and other sports while rugby league funding fell away. When the NRL wake up and put a bit of effort into helping out on the ground up there, things will change very quickly....and the Kumuls might even give the Kangaroos a run for their money.

yes...we the village boys from the remoted part of Southern Highlands of png has to travell some 100 of kilometers to watch the game of Jessy Joe Parker and followers of his game, i love his footy...he's well desciplined and committed to his career and a true rugby league son of png. i prayed that wayne benneth should pick him..... try him out there in NRL.

Only 3 tries to 2, and a very strong looking Australian side. Zero memory of the game I'm afraid, but Paul Honiss (a Kiwi of course) was ref so can't discount the robbed claim entirely!

I really hope international rugby league won't let PNG down because the Kumuls are great to watch when they play ! I wish they played more international games...

I think the PM's XIII is good but not good enough, there should be a Kakoda Cup every year in remembrance of what the fuzzy wuzzy angels did for our soldiers and also the history of the game migrating to PNG. It would also get PNG a great financial boost as the revenue generated would go to developing a certain town for that year.

Yes, but at the same time they need to play more international games as playing the same amount as Australia won't give them an edge. They should be playing against the cook islands and other PI nations more often. They should also tour every couple of years and play against the Northern Hemisphere teams. There is also the opportunity to tour new RL nations like South Africa or Jamaica and the States.

Im a big fan of Jessie Joe Parker (JJP), I think he plays in the English championship, but I believed he would have been a star for any team. I was hoping Wayne Bennett would pick him up.

png is not far from their dominance in the the rugby league areana.take my word next few years png will become the champions. 2009 png kumuls flogged every pacific island nations. we have bitten new zealand ,england,france. in comming years we will bit australia. i mean we will. theres no doubt!

I don't think an NRL team would even be suitable in 20-30 years, they would make no money (3rd world country, no disposable income, therefore not attractive to sponsors). I think the best they could hope for would be a QLD Cup team as a feeder to the Cowboys, or eventually a feeder to a club based in Darwin if the NRL chooses to expand there at some stage in the distant future.

what evidence is there of afl is booming in png? i swear the afl must pay people to write this stuff so who ever does nt follow afl just start watching it and all of a sudden think it is skillful and exciting to miss 50% of kicks on goals.

PNG has been treated badly over the years in RL and it's a bloody disgrace.When was the last time a Kiwi or a NZ Residence side ever tour the Emerald Isles?What about Auckland RL?They got plenty of money in the piggy bank but they are too worried pumping up the Warrior's Reserve Grade side through the Vulcans plus ploughing plenty of money into the NZ Cops RL which is a waste of time as well as resources.There's no return and once again the RL Officials continue think small.They have no vision.That's why our sport struggles whereby others continue to thrive.That's why AFL is starting to boom in PNG.AFL can make hay while the sun is out yet RL fails to reap any kind of harvest.Our Officials haven't got any idea and we haven't got the right people running the game.

Disagree. Height has nothing to do with nutrition in this context. Not many tall Japanese people walking around either. I reckon its just the in the genes..

PNG players dont have the right build - they are not a tall race (well the ones that play NRL) perhaps because of poor nutrition..If they cant make it to the NRL what hope have they got... If they were good players I am sure they could get a visa...and of course therer is fitting into the culture of big cities...Marcus bai did it why not others then..

What if the RLIF held a 3 match series between PNG and the Pacific Islands at the same time as the State of Origin? It would give persons with PNG heritage to choose PNG over QLD and NSW. New Zealand could play against England or Great Britain in a 3 match series during the same period. Makes sense since rugby league was brough to the southern hemisphere by the New Zealanders. The New Zealand rugby union team inspired the Northern Rugby Football Union to create the 13-man game. An "origin" type series between the two countries could incorporate the history into its marketing. It would be even better if the NRL and Super League scheduled their competitions around these series. That way origin, PNG vs Pacific and NZ vs Eng/GB could be played over a weekend. There would give the broadcasters an opportunity to air a match on Friday, another on Saturday and another on Sunday. Would be great for the respective rugby league federations and their commerial partners.

Also of note JohnB... In that 1998 Qualifier... We actually could have won... I think Paramore dropped a intercept with a clear run into the Try line... And also too many kicks at goal missed... We was ROBBED!!

You're right - not since the 50's have Fiji beaten Australia (twice, with a draw in 61), and not since the 80's (when Fiji twice lost by 13, in Suva) have there been close games. Fair to point out that the 2 countries have only played 4 times since the 1980s (but equally fair to say they've all been big Australian wins). Samoa (including when it was Western Samoa) and Australia have only played 4 times for 4 Australian wins, the closest the first between them - 9-3 at the 1991 World Cup, then 25-13 in 1998 (World Cup qualifiying). Notable that both of those Australian sides won the relevant World Cups. The other 2 games, in 1994 and 2005, were big blowouts - I'm guessing the Samoans didn't have overseas based players available. Tonga - 1973 was their one win. Australia had won the first ever test between the countries the week before, and has won the 2 tests since (93 and 98) by large margins. Finally, Australia played the combined "Pacific Islanders" team once, for a 15 point win in 2004. That's the most recent reasonably respectable scoreboard result between Australia and any side from the Pacific Islands. The small number of games Australia has played against these teams hits you when you look at this, and is another topic in itself.

Well.. Samoa tested both Australia and NZ in the 90s... And dont forget that next weekend Samoa will defeat Australia.