Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has been busy crisscrossing the globe recently searching for a legacy, but one of the dumbest ideas that he’s come up with yet is his vision for a PNG team in the NRL.
Let us have a look at some of the reported comments that he, together with his travelling partner Penny Wong, and the Minister for International Development and the Pacific Pat Conroy came up with at the recent Pacific Forum: “The first PNG NRL team would also include Australian players, but a PNG identity would be ensured.”
By Australian players, are we talking about Australian citizens like Alex Johnston, Jack de Belin and Kyle Laybutt who just conveniently choose to use the rugby league heritage rules to pick up a Test match jersey or two – or are we talking about Australian players generally, including those who do not qualify for PNG?
How many Australians would be included? Surely using quotas based on race, nationality or heritage is not appropriate in the NRL, or probably in any domestic sporting competition for that matter, and if it was used, based on the skill sets of the PNG-based players who represented the country this year, this new team could set a new record for wooden spoons.
Do PNG league fans really get excited watching players represent them who have no real connection to the country beyond the address of the hospital on their grandmother’s birth certificate?
What does the “first PNG NRL team” actually mean?
The team for the first year perhaps, or the initial years, whatever they are? What happens after these “first” years, and which quality Australian players do they think will sign up for that initial period and blow their future contract value for good after they pick up a couple of wooden spoons?
How will losing those Australian players make the PNG team more competitive in the future? Who will replace them?
How is the “PNG identity” to be ensured? Surely, they just can’t be called either “PNG” or the “Kumuls”, as that would just relegate the status of the national team to that of a club side. Wouldn’t a PNG identity require the team to be playing out of PNG and full of players from PNG?
“We are talking to PNG about how we can best support the bid. Obviously, that might involve allocating resources…”
Rest assured that “support” equals money, nothing more and nothing less, and probably lots of it. A PNG bid to join the NRL under the current criteria would otherwise fail particularly on the financial front.
The Australian government would presumably fund the deal, either directly or indirectly, through its foreign aid budget, and if so, most Australian voters would be quite justified in saying why?
What’s in it for me? Supporters of existing rugby league clubs, and all other sports for that matter, could ask the same question.
(Photo by Charlotte Tattersall/Getty Images for RLWC)
Does Albo actually believe that by giving PNG a likely unsuccessful rugby league team that plays virtually all of its games in Australia will convince the PNG government to slam the door shut in China’s face if they come knocking with 10 or 20 billion Yuan for some attractive belt and road initiative?
If the PNG government takes the Chinese cash sometime in the future, will the Cairns Kumuls just get rebranded as the PNG Pandas, or will they disappear completely?
What happens if a future Australian Prime Minister doesn’t suffer from Albo’s level of Sinophobia or just prefers AFL to rugby league? Would the funding be pulled and the team fold?
PNG’s Deputy Prime Minister John Rosso revealed that Albanese had promised that he would advance the PNG bid to enter the NRL.
Albo does love a promise but keeping this one may be more difficult than most. He’s not in Peter V’landys’ class when it comes to wheeling, dealing and subterfuge and PVL will know that he’ll still be running the game long after Albo has that sinking feeling after being appointed as Australia’s High Commissioner to Tuvalu.
It will be interesting to see how many millions of taxpayer’s dollars PVL can secure for the game without actually giving Albo anything to crow about.
Jack de Belin was previously stood down by the NRL when he faced serious charges. (Photo by Ian Hitchcock/Getty Images)
Rosso said the team should be opened up to players from other Pacific nations. ”We’d like to have it as a Pacific rugby team moving forward in the NRL, united Pacific.”
Hang on, what happened to the PNG identity, or did Mr Rosso suddenly realise PNG won’t be winning many games without their fair share of Pasifika players?
So, let’s recap, it’s a PNG side, with lots of Australians, at least for an unspecified time, and then players from other Pacific nations, and it will retain its PNG identity while at the same time having that “united Pacific” feel about it.
Sheesh, I’m sure even Albo was lost at this point, but I love the idea of “united Pacific” in a rugby league sense. Has Rosso ever seen a game between Tonga and Samoa?
Albo, let’s face it, your muddled meddling raises far more questions than it provides answers, and we don’t want our game to suffer long-term damage just for your desperate attempt at some form of short-term political gain.
If you really want to have an input into the greatest game of all go and cheer on the Rabbitohs, or perhaps even put your hand up to join the ARL Commission when you leave the Lodge 18 months from now.
Lord Ted Said
Roar Rookie
I bet u do love thinking big, Phil Mc Kraken.
Lord Ted Said
Roar Rookie
Yeah you’re spot on. 5 Hrs to everywhere for every team in the organisation. And Storm weren’t “successful” in an AFL heartland, they were an absolutely strategic must-have for the NRL to compete with the AFL. Stakes were too high. It wasn’t the case then, as is readily apparent now, but it turned out that they signed (and kept) arguably the best coach of the last twenty years - with arguably some of the best players in key positions in the last twenty years. Astute recruitment in all other positions and unprecedented professionalism across the board set a new standard. I’m a St George supporter, they have done terrible things to us, but they’re success has made the NRL.
Lord Ted Said
Roar Rookie
No mate, sorry to disappoint.
Rosie
Roar Rookie
I could handle 2 x NZ teams, that makes sense to me. Then we have even teams in OZ
Tony
Roar Guru
Life is full of disappointments Smiffy. The idea of a PNG NRL team, as espoused by Albo and his PNG counterparts, is a dumb one, and will have absolutely no influence on any future decisions PNG makes in relation to China.
Smiffy
Roar Rookie
Hi Tony, I have enjoyed reading your articles, comments and thoughts over the years but in this case I must completely disagree with you. Your article is not based on a serious discussion about the success or failure of a PNG team but is a purely political rant which frankly doesn't belong on this sports site. You provide an un-named quote from someone at the pacific forum that said "The first PNG NRL team would also include Australian players, but a PNG identity would be ensured" To which you then say. "How many Australians would be included? Surely using quotas based on race, nationality or heritage is not appropriate in the NRL, or probably in any domestic sporting competition for that matter, and if it was used, based on the skill sets of the PNG-based players who represented the country this year, this new team could set a new record for wooden spoons." So are you suggesting that a team from PNG could only have players from PNG. Let's stop and look at that idea. I see you are a St George Dragons fan, how many current Dragons players are from St George? What about from the Illawarra? How about how many Storm players are from Melbourne? This argument makes no sense unless you then apply it to all other teams. Of course all teams are a mixture of players from all over league playing nations and why would PNG be any different? The statement: "Do PNG league fans really get excited watching players represent them who have no real connection to the country beyond the address of the hospital on their grandmother’s birth certificate?" Let me ask you, do you get excited when Mikaele Ravalawa scores a try during a game? But he's not from St George so surely you wouldn't. You then complain about "support" being provided - well what about the 10 million already going to NRL clubs by the federal government, or the $113 million being allocated by the NSW government to NRL, or perhaps the the Queensland government funding, How about the $50 million for a centre of excellence for the dragons from the government? All NRL teams get government funding. Would taxpayers be upset with the funding to the Dragons or any other NRL team, I would say yes, but you haven't written an article about that before. The Financial Times article on the 16/8/23 states that the Australian Government would put up to $25 million a year to support the PNG team, if you thinks that's gonna bankrupt the country than you probably should have been more concerned about the $660 million money spent on not creating commuter carparks. The idea that a PNG team wouldn't be successful in the only country that has Rugby League as it's National Sport seems shortsighted. The team would have the same salary cap as everyone else, so attracting players wouldn't be any more difficult than any other team. Whether they won a grand final in the next 20 years would mean nothing, take my team, Parramatta, we haven't won since 1986 (as everyone likes to point out), but would you suggest that therefore Parra is a waste of time and money and therefore should no longer be included in the comp. How about the Titans or the Warriors, they haven't won a comp yet either. The Dragons haven't won the comp since 2010, so how long do you give a team before they have to win a comp? Frankly I'm disappointed that such a politically motivated article was allowed to be published and prefer it when you stick to actually talking about league not trying to push your political agenda on the readers of this site.
ScottWoodward.me
Roar Guru
It REALLY is a Cairns team with a PNG name. Anyone who thinks a PNG team will not run last in the NRL has no comprehension of the game, or for that matter intellect.
Phil McKraken
Roar Rookie
I love thinking big lol and taking a punt, but seriously with careful long term engagement and planning I think it would be a worthwhile gamble. The reaction to the Tonga teams success at the 2017 World Cup with the very long car convoys in Waikiki by Tongan expat supporters showed their was strong local interest that could translate into long term interest if nurtured. Lots of Tongan and Samoans reside there or go to study at the Mormon College. In my mind a far better proposition with potential greater benefits than a PNG/Pacific team based in Cairns.
Tony
Roar Guru
Once they've been given the money, there's precious little Australia can do to control how they spend it
Opposed Session
Roar Rookie
100% While I love watching PNG players play. I doubt their Gov would ever turn down a bigger bucket money. Especially if it is true they borrow $500m off Australia a number of years ago with $310m of that going to sitting members for reelection.
Opposed Session
Roar Rookie
I get your point about the defence budget but a 1% increase to secure a footy team just isn’t going to stop China. It may stop interaction between PNG and China for a bit but I doubt that will hold for too long. Then we will be left with the same scenario we are in now with a weaker NRL product as a byproduct of this soft diplomacy strategy. So we are then getting back to why would we do this from a rugby league aspect when that just doesn’t make sense. PVL is from a gambling industry but even he should consider that a failure of this franchise is short odds!
Tony
Roar Guru
It will also make zero difference to this or any future PNG government's decisions if China turns up with a bucket of money in "aid".
Nico
Roar Rookie
Soft diplomacy via sport clearly doesn’t count for nothing – just ask Qatar which was willing to spend over $300 billion to stage a world cup. $60 million a year for an NRL side really is a drop in the bucket compared with an annual defence budget of $52.5 billion which will increase substantially if China is allowed to build a military base in Australia’s vicinity. The $60 million will also make zero difference to the cost of living crisis, primarily shaped by international events beyond any government’s control and affecting a lot more countries than just Australia, but also decades of housing policy failure with the coalition asleep at the wheel for most of that
Opposed Session
Roar Rookie
Would have been 15 for the APEC summit but that’s only because the Chinese had only just finished the surfaces and bringing sand onto Ela beach upgrade that was full of asbestos!
Tim Carter
Roar Pro
I suppose we're arguing over semantics. The Steelers are no longer a contributor, but the influence of Illawarra is at the core of the joint venture.
Noel
Roar Rookie
No, they aren’t vertically challenged. There’s a massive divergence of size and shape, largely influenced by the various regions. Watch the Fiji vs PNG Pacific Bowl and take a look at the front row.
Noel
Roar Rookie
"Let’s also take into account when hosting the 2018 APEC summit, PNG bought 40 Maserati’s for officials who never used them. There’s about 15 roads that these can be driven on in Port Moresby." As a current resident of Port Moresby, 15 is an outrageous over statement! :silly: The bloke behind all that is an erstwhile Australian with a very checkered history...
jimmmy
Roar Rookie
1 How long before they win a premiership. ? Longer than Melbourne , but Not as long as the Warriors. 2 Well I don't have Melbourne's figures handy but the PNG club will be propped up by two governments so they will not lose money. That is better than most. 3 Tough question. The thing is though they will be putting multiple players into the comp every year. Now maybe those players become elite playing for the Broncs or the Roosters or Melbourne. But at least they are contributing players to the pool. The fact the Storm can produce one Victorian player is not a miracle, it's a tragedy.
KenW
Roar Rookie
On the contrary, the Steelers have almost no representation in the joint-venture (it was never a merger) at all these days. The Dragons have pretty much completed the takeover.
KenW
Roar Rookie
I think you're right in what you've said, WIN is tied to the Illawarra region and will use their influence accordingly within the Dragons. It has next to nothing to do with the Steelers though. WIN's connection to the Illawarra region is their own interest, the Steelers aren't pulling the strings in the background.