By Dan Walsh
NRL chief Andrew Abdo has flagged a significant increase in top-level games being played in Papua New Guinea – including a historic maiden NRL game – ahead of the code’s long-term expansion into the rugby league-mad nation.
With extensive negotiations around the Australian government’s $600 million, 10-year funding plan for an NRL side in PNG edging toward an official announcement, Abdo joined politicians from both nations in Port Moresby on Sunday for the annual Prime Minister’s XIII clash against a Papua New Guinean invitational side.
ARL chairman Peter V’landys has led the push for a PNG team as part of the federal government’s ‘soft-diplomacy’ strategy in the Pacific amid regional competition from China, with what would be a 19th NRL side expected to be granted a licence for entry into the 2028 competition.
While negotiations with the Western Bears consortium to be the game’s 18th club broke down in spectacular fashion last week, PNG’s expansion talks remain on track.
Abdo spoke of regular international fixtures, and potentially NRL and NRLW games being played on PNG soil in coming years, a period which will also include the 2026 men’s and women’s world cups.
Papua New Guinea will host several games in the tournament – which was originally due to be played in France – as it did in 2017 when the world cup was last held in Australia.
Tyran Wishart was in impressive touch for the Australian PM’s XIII.Credit: NRL Imagery
“We want more and more content here, so we’ll be bringing and thinking about more and more games – international games, Test matches and potentially an NRL and NRLW game for sure,” Abdo said.
“We’ve put a lot of hard work in, it’s been the culmination of a lot of effort from a lot of people on both sides – Australia and Papua New Guinea.
“Hopefully [there] is an announcement soon. As you’ve heard our chairman [Peter V’landys] say this is something that is strategically important for the Australian Rugby League Commission. Expansion and potentially having a team out of Papua New Guinea is definitely exciting for the game.”
The Brad Fittler-coached Prime Minister’s XIII claimed an emphatic 42-20 win over the PNG PM’s XIII, despite the home side claiming an early 12-0 lead.
The corresponding women’s fixture was also won 50-0 by the Australian side, but the most significant result of the day may well have been the 22-all draw between the Australian Schoolboys and PNG Junior Kumuls.
Establishing elite pathways in PNG has been a key pillar of the nation’s NRL pitch, with Junior Kumuls coach Joey Grima leading grassroots development programs under the stewardship of ex-Bulldogs CEO Andrew Hill, now chief executive of the PNG bid.
Against a Schoolboys side featuring a slew of players touted as the best youngsters in the game – including Canterbury halfback Mitchell Woods and Knights prop Cody Hopwood – only a last-second try to Cronulla centre Nikora Williams denied the Junior Kumuls a telling win.
Canberra’s Kaeo Weekes bagged a double in the men’s fixture as the PM’s XIII scored five second-half tries.
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