Cairns to host international junior AFL carnival as league moves to make PNG’s ‘Mozzies’ a permanent part of Far North footy

A Papua New Guinean footy team may be playing in Cairns sooner than you think – just not in the code you may have suspected.

Cairns-based Papua New Guinea representative, Tyler Gorogo celebrates after winning the 2017 AFL International Cup Mens Division 1 Grand Final match between New Zealand and Papua New Guinea at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. (Photo by Darrian Traynor/AFL Media)

A Papua New Guinean footy team may be playing in Cairns sooner than you think – just not in the code you may have suspected.

“Amazing” grassroots work in the Pacific has prompted AFL Queensland to launch an ambitious plan to bring PNG representative teams to play in Cairns, starting with a tri-series in July.

The carnival will feature our northern neighbour’s best juniors pitted against top underage talent, hailing from Cairns, Cape York and the Torres Strait.

AFL PNG played in a pre-season competition against AFL Cairns teams, including the Port Douglas Crocs 2010. Former AFL player Mal Michael was part of the squad.

AFL Cairns have long harboured dreams of PNG’s national team playing in its men’s and women’s senior competition with former Brisbane Lion Mal Michael leading the Moskitos in a preseason competition held at Cazalys in 2010.

One of the initiative’s strongest backers, AFL Cape York general manager Rick Hanlon, said the three-team tournament would be the first step towards making the region’s historic PNG dream a reality.

“We would create an international AFL competition based in Australia and do something that’s never happened before,” Mr Hanlon said.

“It’s about creating opportunities and filling a void in Queensland country football where there’s a representative pathway for under 14 and 16s boys and girls.”

AFL Cairns General Manager Craig Lees says the time is right to explore the game’s expansion into Papua New Guinea. Picture: Brendan Radke

The strong ties between PNG and the Far North made the region the perfect platform to showcase talent from across the Pacific, AFL Cairns’ top boss Craig Lees said.

“What better way to connect two nations than through sport and young people?” Mr Lees said.

“This helps reward the PNG players and lets them be a part of representative carnivals.

“It keeps kids in the game and excited about their footy and some of that had been lost during the Covid years.

“If we can service the players we’ll keep them in the game for that much longer.

“Hopefully that raises the bar in the competition and drives participation.”

Manunda Hawks defender Kila Rawali moved to Cairns in 2023 to play AFL at a higher level. Picture: Brendan Radke

The announcement comes with the NRL’s Cairns-PNG bid currently in peril, with ARL chair Peter V’landys publicly outlining his plans to exclude the Far North city’s involvement in any future franchise.

Centrals Trinity Beach Bulldogs’ Papua New Guinea recruits Gideon Simon and Brendan Benolit up the AFL Cairns competition during their brief time in the Far North. Picture: Justin Brierty

But with the rival competition actively exploring a potential 20th AFL licence in the Top End, Cairns was ideally placed to partner with its northern neighbours in the future, Mr Hanlon said.

“There is talk about a Northern Australia team working in partnership with other cities,” he said.

“If that’s a possibility, we should look to engage more areas like Papua New Guinea.

“We can facilitate that involvement with a long-term view that there may one day be a Northern Australia (AFL) team that we could be a part of.

“We have a terrific airline running out of Cairns in Air Niugini who fly directly to Port Moresby.”

A Cairns under-17s vs. PNG under-16s played for the Mal Michael Trophy at Cazalys in 2006.

Next month Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence Richard Marles will lead an expert line-up of speakers discussing how the Far North can become the “gateway to the Pacific” as part of the Future Cairns conference.

Potential sponsors of this year’s junior AFL carnival can contact AFL Cape York at [e-mail].

Manunda Hawks’ premiership player Willie Aisi has been exciting Cairns crowds for more than a decade.

Mozzie Invasion

Some of the notable current and former PNG stars to have played in the AFL Cairns competition

Brendan Beno (Centrals Trinity Beach Bulldogs)

Gideon Simon (Centrals Trinity Beach Bulldogs)

Peter Labi (North Cairns Tigers)

Willie Aisi (Manunda Hawks)

Tyler Gorogo (Manunda Hawks)

Kila Rawali (Manunda Hawks)

Originally published as Cairns to host international junior AFL carnival as league moves to make PNG’s ‘Mozzies’ a permanent part of Far North footy