Papua New Guinea’s NRL team will be shut down if Port Moresby signs a security agreement with China, as a condition of Australian taxpayers bankrolling its elite rugby league dream with $600 million.
In the latest bid by Australia to thwart Beijing’s efforts to build influence in the Pacific, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, PNG counterpart James Marape and ARL Commission chairman Peter V’landys confirmed that a Port Moresby-based team would begin playing in the NRL from 2028.
Zoe Samios covers wagering and the business of sport from the AFR's Sydney newsroom. She was previously the media and telecommunications reporter for The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, and covered media at The Australian. Connect with Zoe on Twitter. Email Zoe at zoe.samios@afr.com
