The NRL's future is in the Pacific Islands

Trent, Saw your article a bit late but thought Id just wade in. Maybe some of your readers are not aware of the developments that are happening up north of the boarder in PNG. Its pretty obvious that some are still oblivious to regional issues such as development that is happening especially in Port Moresby. So I'll chuck in my two cents to enlighten them. The PNG national government has made the upgrading of all its national sporting facilities as one of its major priority, this is not only because of the 2015 South Pacific Games in which PNG is hosting, but also PNG's desire to have a team in the NRL competition. Projects has already started with a stadium being rebuilt from the ground up in Kone near the city's CBD and the old rugby league ground (Lloyd Robinson in Port Moresby) which is also being rebuilt. ( http://www.peddlethorp.co.nz/projects/show/sir-john-guise-stadium-png/ ) Both will be of international standard to hold any track and field event with the emphasis being the latter for Rugby League (or Union I suppose). In terms of support both locally and at the corporate level, unless your living under a rock or havent been to PNG then best bite your tongue, there's no denying PNG's almost fanatical support of league in PNG and as many should know by now its a national sport so I wouldnt be too worried about sponsorship. There's an impromptu field the Port Moresby league had to run its comp out of, due to the development and reconstruction of the "home" of PNG rugby league the Lloyd Robinson,  in which some of the players in the PNG Hunters came from, it's literally a swirling dust bowl and not the kind of field you'd want your kids in Australia to play in, thats the kind of gutsy spirit and passon this lads play with, and there were throngs of supporters watching from the side lines too. In 2011 I think PMXIII  game between the Kumuls and the Australian Squad was held in Lae, there were people flocking down from the Highlands which is a good day and a half's drive if your living out in Tari or further out. The down side was that the "field" couldn't fit 1'000 even if you tried. Its not only the game that brings the crowd but the chance for the locals to see the stars up close and personal. So as far as getting a packed stadium or a decent sized crowd NRL couldnt go wrong in giving the thumbs up for PNG to be included in the NRL competition, I can confidently say home games will be packed to capacity Trennt like every weekend was a grand final, but I cant speak for away games. Merchandising/marketing shouldnt be a problem, however the cost of imported goods is quite expensive and for the grass roots can be near impossible I'll admit but it sell's. Its an un-tapped market but the growth PNG has seen since the discovery and development of oil and gas has seen a spike in its economy albeit any economists will say there is an use by date. I cant speak for the rest of the island playing nations but I agree that there should be a competition to involve the smaller island nations, the Digicel Cup which is a semi professional competition in PNG is like the QRL and has at least 4 Fijian players that were scouted from the Fijian Comp. This has been a subject of discussion with some of the franchise owners to follow suit to source playing stock from, Samoa, Tonga and Fiji who knows maybe Digicel Cup could extend to the South Pacific (maybe), that could be the way to go for developing the code in the Pacific. On that note Tonga will be playing the  (resident) Kumuls in a one off test in Lae on the 19th of October and rumours of France mabe dropping in.

Leave it as such with the NSW cup. Also let Fiji play in a Pacific Cup comp,and of course the RLWC 2017 to be held here. Whilst union will always be the no1 code ,in these countries,judging by my visit in Sept 2013 compared to a visit in 1996,the awareness and popularity of rugby league in Fiji has increased remarkably.I saw it in TV news re local and NRL games and in the print media.There was next to nothing in 96.The club scene and schools has also grown . PNG is rl national country with population more than the others combined ,but so what .Each country has players who want to represent and do their best.The NSW cup is a good starting point for Fiji ,plus the experienced NRL players . The arrival of a number of Fijian guys in the NRL has helped grow the local competition and created more interest in the NRL. The manager of the Raddison on Denaru said some of the guys who work there absolutely idolise Petero Civenocea. Noticed the interest at the Outrigger also. Should the NRL expand to an 18 team comp,there will be further opportunities for PI guys and Fijians in particular.They are built and love playing the ball handling codes of rugby.

According to reports the Fiji NSW Cup Team has already been approved for 2016.

I tend to agree with a lot of what you say. I would probably say it should happen/be looked at in 10-15 years though. I'm a high school science teacher and many of the kids of polynesian descent I teach are sports-mad. They seem to have a team in all sports that they follow and wear the paraphernalia at free dress days. Most seem to follow rugby league as much or more than they follow rugby union (it is a state school and there is no union offered in the school sports program). Many have told me they support the Maroons (being Queenslanders) but seem to have out-of-town teams in the NRL like the Bunnies, Panthers and Warriors. Sometimes I think this team choice is based on colours and fashion but other times it seems to be more about the players they like, and many of these favourites players are polynesian. Another factor at play here may be that in Australia it is easier to follow NRL than Rugby if you cannot afford foxtel. Many families in my area are not well off and would not have foxtel. A country like Samoa might only have a population of 188 000 but I think there would be that number again of people of Samoan descent in Australia and New Zealand. The other week when I was at the Broncos vs Warriors game you could almost be forgiven for thinking it was a Warriors home game, I think half the crowd were going for them. I think pacific teams in the NRL would get similar away support. If they brought a team in, the NRL should cut them a deal where some of the away ticket revenue goes back to the pacific island/islands. Combine with merchandise sales and you may be onto a winner

no too far away, imagine the round trip for a Fiji team to perth?

Look like another Aussie or Kiwi woke up this morning with another dream but the only problem is another sport is a religion there in Samoa, Tonga and Fiji. Let it go guys and start dreaming about the other Australian cities with no NRL teams.

Thanks to all those that have posted today. Basically the story was written to highlight Fiji's push to be a part of the NSW Cup. To answer one of the themes that has come across in the feedback, the reason I believe the attendance rates would increase in Sydney/Western Suburbs if one or all the teams were admitted or even a combined Pacifika team would be because of the high number of Polynesian-Australians that live in the area. Those that have descended from the Pacific are generally very passionate about there roots and I believe they would support a team coming from there home land in droves. On the merchandise front, up where I am from most of the Polynesian- Australian kids I see are wearing some sort of sporting jersey, usually a rugby one from the homeland of their descendants. It is a bit of an assumption, but once again, given their passion, I believe any team from the Pacific would be well supported merchandise wise. You will notice that I didn't put a date in which entry into the NRL should be obtained. Although I would like to see this happen in the next 5 years, I still think it will be well down the track. the first step however would be to give Fiji a shot at the NSW Cup to see how viable they are. I do agree that there are many areas that should gain entry into the NRL before this move, but I think this needs to be a part of the NRL's long term plans at the very least. Once again thanks for your feedback.

Its only an 18 month stand down and the IRB didn't amend anything it was just loophole caused from Rugby being accepted into the Olympics, Olympic ruling overruled the IRB rules

We are enjoying Rugby League being played at its highest standard ever. Fit, Fast & Skilled. The main reason for that pleasure is the enormous contribution made to the game by PI's including NZers as team members of the sixteen clubs in the NRL PI's and NZers comprise 39% and Australian Aboriginals 18% of the NRL teams. These percentages will increase in the future. It may be noted that black players in the NFL has reached 68% of the playing force. The NRL will need the continuing recruitment these players for the game to prosper. If that supply was diverted for whatever reason RL would have a big problem.

I think the idea you're trying to make is nice but realistically I can't see it happening. I'd guess it's the same reason why Pacific Islanders move to Australia or even New Zealand to play rugby league because there aren't any opportunities to do so in their countries.

A much more sensible solution would be extend local competitions than planting down NRL franchises. I don't know how feasible it'd be, but how about a european champions league style competition between the top teams from PNG, Fiji (excluding the hunters and Fiji NSW cup team), Samoa, Tonga i'd even let the Kiwis put in a local domestic team in. it dosen't have to be something like that, but i'd rather respect the competitions existing in the region and try and build from them then build over and around them.

I like the positivity, but imagine the concept from a business point of view. What is required for a successful team? Population, community support, corporate support, day to day logistics (travel, training facilities), stadium, potential to grow participation, potential to grow TV contract, standard of living. Pacific Islands struggle with almost all of the above while Perth, NZ II, Brisbane II have much stronger cases and none of them are guaranteed places for 5-10 years But tactical efforts need to be made in these nations and PNG in QLD Cup and potentially others in tier 2 comps is a great initiative (even tho I haven't figured out how they make it sustainable). I think Joey Johns and Fittler go over to Fiji to help with coaching (scouting) or something like that. A RL centre of excellence with a real focus on giving back to community while creating pathways for players (especially union converts) would be another smart move

**double post**

This article was in jest, surely.

"If the NRL takes a chance and brings teams in from Papua New Guinea, Fiji, Tonga and Samoa, then their attendance rates would sky rocket, not to mention the merchandise sales." I think you need to explain this a bit more Trennt, as most people would think the reverse would be true.

Support entries as with PNG in QCup & Fiji in NSW Cup. Set up similar NZ Cup comp & when established, have Tonga & Samoa teams at this level. Then set up an "Origin' involving NZ vs Pacific Barbarians. Start with 1 game & move to a 3 game series as with "Origin".Include a game in Australia & 2 in NZ. THIS TOGETHER WITH A 2ND NZ NRL franchise & see the progress in INTERNATIONAL RL.

Trent it's just not financially worthwhile and won't be for the foreseeable future. The pacific islands are rugby union mad and there isn't any professional union teams even though they're a great source of talent. Likewise they are a great source of talent for the NRL but Hobart will get an AFL team before the NRL gets a pacific island-based team.

Meanwhile the IRB has just amended eligibility rules to align with Olympic qualification. This allows players who have represented other countries to play for their PI national team after a 3 year waiting period (playing in France, japan, aus etc). This will have a massive boost to the standard that many of these tier 2 rugby nations play to.

Every pacific island nation has some very pressing issue before they can dream of entering the NRL. Samoa and Tonga are both very small countries population wise. They might be able to host NSW cup sides, but it'd be a lot to ask these sorts of nations to meet the NRL's demands in relation to crowds and financial performance (they'd need more than 10% of the country going to games to match the NRL's goal for average crowds). PNG is seriously underdeveloped and would have trouble creating a safe and friendly environment for players, away teams and away fans. Fiji has been suspended from the commonwealth due to its political turmoil, which seems to be getting resolved but they've had multiple government coups since the turn of the millenium so the permanancy of any resolution is going to be questionable. Political instability might not be a deal breaker, but its probably best to wait and see how their NSW cup team performs in such a climate before dropping a full NRL team there.

I think there's some overly positive thinking here. Love watching some of the dynamic players from these places play, and all for more of them doing it, but there's not enough money there to support a professional NRL team that needs to fly across oceans every week. Everyone's welcome to play Rugby League of course, and more power to them, but look at the raw numbers. All of those nations you mentioned PLUS New Zealand = half the GDP of Sydney (and about the same population). How are they going to be paid back ten-fold like you say?