Confirmed: PNG Team Coming 2028

[Mark from Brisbane]

You only have to look at what China owns/runs in Australia already, it's endless. That group of 200 pubs that were going to brush Australia Day hmm Chinese owned. Obviously tip.of the iceberg, ports, hospitals, farms on and on. PNG nothing to them.

The farmland they own in this country is tragic but you can’t blame the farmers.

In my old home town of Moree they've been buying up cotton farms.

One of my mates sold his recently , he thought it might be worth 16 million ( which is a lot of money ) , there was a bidding war between a Canadian Super Fund & a Chinese company , China won, 32.5 million.

My mate said it was like winning Powerball.

 

[Terry Zarsoff]

The farmland they own in this country is tragic but you can’t blame the farmers.

In my old home town of Moree they've been buying up cotton farms.

One of my mates sold his recently , he thought it might be worth 16 million ( which is a lot of money ) , there was a bidding war between a Canadian Super Fund & a Chinese company , China won, 32.5 million.

My mate said it was like winning Powerball.

The real tragedy is that anyone thought it was a good idea to grow such aqua-intensive crops as cotton (and rice) on the world’s driest continent..

What a disaster.

 

[BOZO]

The farmland they own in this country is tragic but you can’t blame the farmers.

In my old home town of Moree they've been buying up cotton farms.

One of my mates sold his recently , he thought it might be worth 16 million ( which is a lot of money ) , there was a bidding war between a Canadian Super Fund & a Chinese company , China won, 32.5 million.

My mate said it was like winning Powerball.

The Powerball Game perspective ...
Our best Investment on Earth is Earth
and If we keep selling our Land to the foreigners
Our Children's Children will be paying rent to the Foreigners who will have the Power

You dont sell your own Mother and You dont sell your Mother Land
Selling your own Mother Land is a despicable and Unforgivable betrayal
And the Saddest thing about betrayal is that it comes from within

Congratulations to the New Owners
of our once owned Great Country

 

[Mark from Brisbane]

The real tragedy is that anyone thought it was a good idea to grow such aqua-intensive crops as cotton (and rice) on the world’s driest continent..

What a disaster.

They are now growing cotton on the Ord River scheme , and that’s fantastic as the fresh water that flows out of lake Arygle and just runs into the ocean is staggering.

But I agree they are water thirsty crops

 

[MissKate]

Too many teams too quickly. Might be TOO much of a focus on more teams to increase income from TV deals for my liking.

I get the feeling that just because the dolphins have been competitive, PVL has got greedy and wants more more more.

If he goes another 3 in quick succession. Hmmm.

Short memories don't they, Why would Quale pick the best two bids, from Cows, Crushers, Warriors & Reds? Nah stuff that just give em all a licence, what could go wrong!

Nek minute the gulf between first and last is that wide half the games ain't worth watching, the talent pool so diluted the over all standard of games lowers. The comps standing ruined. Giving birth to a competitor who knows they can run things better than this **** show, and make more dollars along the way, with a smaller more competitive comp that folks might actually again pay to watch.

Don't be surprised if this time around it is the Union/League hybrid which has been gaining financial traction over in the UK for a few years now. Union and Super League they are fighting each other for the same Corporate Sponsors over in the mother country and struggling to make ends meet, where the roundball game totally dominates.

It might not be Murdoch vs Packer this time round, but it could still be called Super League or Super Union.

Will a new team in PNG have any impact on tv ratings, I can’t see it. I am pretty sure the tv stations will get minimal benefit other than more games per week, I don’t see the nrl picking up too many new fans watching games in Aus and not sure if Aus tv stations will be broadcasting to the PNG audience. As the game is basically run/controlled by the tv stations I am struggling to see them paying much more for the rights, unless I am missing something here

 

[Mark from Brisbane]

Will a new team in PNG have any impact on tv ratings, I can’t see it. I am pretty sure the tv stations will get minimal benefit other than more games per week, I don’t see the nrl picking up too many new fans watching games in Aus and not sure if Aus tv stations will be broadcasting to the PNG audience. As the game is basically run/controlled by the tv stations I am struggling to see them paying much more for the rights, unless I am missing something here

Very good point , and I doubt they have “ pay for view “ up there considering they trade in betel nut.

 

[Leader of the Flock]

PNG definitely has pay for view and regular subscription TV.

 

[manlyfan76]

$600 million over ten years is cheap.
LNP paid $800 million to the French for submarines that were no longer to be being built so we could pay $368 billion to the US for subs. Long range subs that can live in ocean trench off China's shipping lanes. Subs that the US don't have the ability to build for themselves let alone sell.

 

[Nike]

I love topics like this because the Silvertails Braintrust and Ironstines come out in force - loud, proud and wrong as always!

Anyway I can't believe Labor has spent $60M a year on shoring up PNG, don't they know there's homeless people in the streets here and the government is incapable of doing more than one thing at a time. It's not like PNG is a resource rich, horribly unstable country on our doorstep that is currently being subverted by Chinese debt diplomacy. If only their national sport was rugby league we could threaten to pull their NRL team which would provide significant influence and leverage. It's a shame really since we all know the only thing that upsets the locals is less strip mining and China Aid banners in Port Moresby 🙁

I'm sure the superior economic managers from the LNP and their 200 IQ strategy of letting the Solomon Islands sign a security agreement with China was a bright idea to the loud minority, it didn't cost The Taxpayer™ a cent after all! While we're on the topic can any of you remind me, how much will our non-existent submarines and vaporware nuclear power (5% baseload btw) cost?

Then again the real issue here is POLITICS IN SPORTS! This is the rainbow jersey all over again and honestly I can't believe Penn would do this, he must be SACKED 😡 Yes, Rugby League may have been created for political purposes and yes, sports and politics have been intertwined since inception but that's besides the point. I want to watch jacked men in skintight attire slam into each other, fiercely wrestling for dominance. I don't want any WOKE rubbish in my football!

By the way how about that 6 again rule and the referees these days, THEY'RE RUINING THE GAME! Absolute joke I tell ya, the games gone soft and even worse they refused to lower the volume of the music at the ground (I'm deaf but that's not important). Needless to say I won't be renewing my season pass after being a loyal member since the Paleozoic Era!

Alright I think hit all bases with this one, God I love this place.

 

[Mark from Brisbane]

I love topics like this because the Silvertails Braintrust and Ironstines come out in force - loud, proud and wrong as always!

Anyway I can't believe Labor has spent $60M a year on shoring up PNG, don't they know there's homeless people in the streets here and the government is incapable of doing more than one thing at a time. It's not like PNG is a resource rich, horribly unstable country on our doorstep that is currently being subverted by Chinese debt diplomacy. If only their national sport was rugby league we could threaten to pull their NRL team which would provide significant influence and leverage. It's a shame really since we all know the only thing that upsets the locals is less strip mining and China Aid banners in Port Moresby 🙁

I'm sure the superior economic managers from the LNP and their 200 IQ strategy of letting the Solomon Islands sign a security agreement with China was a bright idea to the loud minority, it didn't cost The Taxpayer™ a cent after all! While we're on the topic can any of you remind me, how much will our non-existent submarines and vaporware nuclear power (5% baseload btw) cost?

Then again the real issue here is POLITICS IN SPORTS! This is the rainbow jersey all over again and honestly I can't believe Penn would do this, he must be SACKED 😡 Yes, Rugby League may have been created for political purposes and yes, sports and politics have been intertwined since inception but that's besides the point. I want to watch jacked men in skintight attire slam into each other, fiercely wrestling for dominance. I don't want any WOKE rubbish in my football!

By the way how about that 6 again rule and the referees these days, THEY'RE RUINING THE GAME! Absolute joke I tell ya, the games gone soft and even worse they refused to lower the volume of the music at the ground (I'm deaf but that's not important). Needless to say I won't be renewing my season pass after being a loyal member since the Paleozoic Era!

Alright I think hit all bases with this one, God I love this place.

Yep you’ve covered most things I think

 

[Mark from Brisbane]

To me it’s nothing about the $600 million , which after all is $60 million a year.

Oh sure it would be better spent on blah , blah & blah.

Yes it’s political , but shouldn’t be.

For me , another franchise should only be about the following.

1) creating more content for the TV broadcasters so they’ll pay more in the rights fee.
2) if possible creating another time slot for a further live game as all games need to be live.
3) the franchise should be able to pay for itself with sponsorship , membership and already have that in play before the licence is granted.
4) the area chosen should be about “ growing the game “ but have a minimum of a grass roots situation already existing.

So let’s consider what were the contenders

a) Perth
b) NZ South Island
c) central Queensland
d) third Brisbane team
e) PNG

For me Perth is a standout and mainly for the additional live time slot , 9.30pm on a Saturday night , then equally b) or c) with both having great potential to grow the game , a third Brisbane team ,in this massive market , possibly the Ipswich Jets , would be a real winner the SEQ area is huge and a third team would work very well.

And at the very bottom of the list is PNG, which really only fits with item 1.

So forget the money , forget politics , it’s just a dumb decision ( in my opinion ).

 

[Bearfax]

The farmland they own in this country is tragic but you can’t blame the farmers.

In my old home town of Moree they've been buying up cotton farms.

One of my mates sold his recently , he thought it might be worth 16 million ( which is a lot of money ) , there was a bidding war between a Canadian Super Fund & a Chinese company , China won, 32.5 million.

My mate said it was like winning Powerball.

Australian governments for some reason have not clamped down on Australian property being allowed to be sold to overseas interests without restrictions. Many countries don't allow this without restrictions. For example to buy a property in China it has to be only on a 70 year lease, must be occupied by the owner on study or work visas and only one property is permitted per buyer. There are other restrictions. Some countries don't allow foreigners to own land in their countries. Australia retains a very open arrangement, which can be to its detriment

 

[Bearfax]

To me it’s nothing about the $600 million , which after all is $60 million a year.

Oh sure it would be better spent on blah , blah & blah.

Yes it’s political , but shouldn’t be.

For me , another franchise should only be about the following.

1) creating more content for the TV broadcasters so they’ll pay more in the rights fee.
2) if possible creating another time slot for a further live game as all games need to be live.
3) the franchise should be able to pay for itself with sponsorship , membership and already have that in play before the licence is granted.
4) the area chosen should be about “ growing the game “ but have a minimum of a grass roots situation already existing.

So let’s consider what were the contenders

a) Perth
b) NZ South Island
c) central Queensland
d) third Brisbane team
e) PNG

For me Perth is a standout and mainly for the additional live time slot , 9.30pm on a Saturday night , then equally b) or c) with both having great potential to grow the game , a third Brisbane team ,in this massive market , possibly the Ipswich Jets , would be a real winner the SEQ area is huge and a third team would work very well.

And at the very bottom of the list is PNG, which really only fits with item 1.

So forget the money , forget politics , it’s just a dumb decision ( in my opinion ).

Though the idea seems worthy, in reality as you say, its a political decision to keep China at bay, without clear guidelines as to how it should operate. I have a close friend, a former Polish missionary, who spends a lot of time in PNG, mainly in the highlands, working voluntarily for the Catholic Church. He considers the decision a serious error, pointing out to the serious corruption, violence, lack of financing for other important areas of education, health, policing, general infrastructure issues. He is devoted to the Melanesian people, was married to one and has children from that marriage, and yet he sees the serious problems that inhibit that nation from moving forward.

 

[Mark from Brisbane]

Though the idea seems worthy, in reality as you say, its a political decision to keep China at bay, without clear guidelines as to how it should operate. I have a close friend, a former Polish missionary, who spends a lot of time in PNG, mainly in the highlands, working voluntarily for the Catholic Church. He considers the decision a serious error, pointing out to the serious corruption, violence, lack of financing for other important areas of education, health, policing, general infrastructure issues. He is devoted to the Melanesian people, was married to one and has children from that marriage, and yet he sees the serious problems that inhibit that nation from moving forward.

Remember the cap & the football department , plus all air travel , is funded by the NRL.

So, in reality , the 60 million is to make up for what will be an almost total lack of big money sponsors.

And that’s where the corruption comes in.

Most of the $60 million will be pissed up against the wall by corrupt locals.

There’s no doubt they are RL mad up there and they’ll sell out every game ( for not much money as the locals have bugger all ) and it will add an additional game each week ( at what time they fit it in who knows , possibly they’ll go back to Monday night games again).

But that’s all they’ll get out of it .

It’s the dumbest decision ever made by the NRL, but I have a feeling they’ve been heavily leaned on by the government of the day to make that choice.

 

[Nike]

To me it’s nothing about the $600 million , which after all is $60 million a year.

Oh sure it would be better spent on blah , blah & blah.

Yes it’s political , but shouldn’t be.

For me , another franchise should only be about the following.

1) creating more content for the TV broadcasters so they’ll pay more in the rights fee.
2) if possible creating another time slot for a further live game as all games need to be live.
3) the franchise should be able to pay for itself with sponsorship , membership and already have that in play before the licence is granted.
4) the area chosen should be about “ growing the game “ but have a minimum of a grass roots situation already existing.

So let’s consider what were the contenders

a) Perth
b) NZ South Island
c) central Queensland
d) third Brisbane team
e) PNG

For me Perth is a standout and mainly for the additional live time slot , 9.30pm on a Saturday night , then equally b) or c) with both having great potential to grow the game , a third Brisbane team ,in this massive market , possibly the Ipswich Jets , would be a real winner the SEQ area is huge and a third team would work very well.

And at the very bottom of the list is PNG, which really only fits with item 1.

So forget the money , forget politics , it’s just a dumb decision ( in my opinion ).

I'll have a stab at replying to this properly.

What you have said logically makes sense however, you seem to have overlooked some key issues.

1) creating more content for the TV broadcasters so they’ll pay more in the rights fee.
I disagree based on the previous broadcast deals signed. As per NRL.com's 2022 broadcast deal announcement (Explainer: What broadcast deal means for the game) the following can be deduced.

The 2012 deal (2013-2017) was worth $1.195bn in today's money.

The 2015 deal, (2018-2022) was worth $1.97bn in today's dollars.

The current 2022 deal, (2022-2027) is worth over $2bn.

The fact is that the broadcast rights value have not increased with an additional team (The Dolphins). Peter V'landys and Andrew Abdo were heavily criticized for this deal due to 'leaving money on the table' after the AFL announced their deal.

After Todd Greenburg was sacked Peter V'landys was appointed chairman and promptly finalised the deal for a lower amount than Greenburg was negotiating for. The game is still controlled by broadcasters, given this and the practical gift given to Foxtel for pennies on the dollar it kinda invalidates the whole argument in my opinion.

2) if possible creating another time slot for a further live game as all games need to be live.
The NRL and broadcasters do not care about timeslots as much as they care about content. Add the emergence of sport betting and frankly I can't see any matches not being shown live.

3) the franchise should be able to pay for itself with sponsorship , membership and already have that in play before the licence is granted.
Yes, but this is not a commercial venture. There is no question regarding the viability for PNG as they were the only bid who actually fulfilled the criteria. There are also clauses in their license for any situations where issues arise allowing the NRL to cut ties at no cost, the NRL are straight profiting from this whatever happens.

The $600m is more value than an entire seasons broadcasting revenue ($400m p.a.). Now divide that by the amount of team and PNG will still be bringing triple the value of current teams (approx. $21m p.a. vs $60m p.a.) based on the current deal.

4) the area chosen should be about “ growing the game “ but have a minimum of a grass roots situation already existing.
I get your point but where exactly fits that criteria and doesn't already have an NRL team? The national sport of PNG is rugby league and a significant portion of this money is going towards grass roots development and creating pathways.

As far as your other potential contenders of Perth, NZ South Island, Central Queensland, a third Brisbane team the only commercially viable one that comes close to meeting the criteria is Perth. They'll be the next team admitted after the NRL finishes playing hardball with the WA government over funding... sound familiar?

In summary is PNG's situation perfect? No, far from it. Do I think it'll work out long term? Definitely not. Do I think a PNG NRL team will be detrimental to the competition if it doesn't work out? Nope. Fundamentally I agree that placing a professional sports team in one of the most violent, undeveloped and dangerous countries in the world is objectively stupid if you're trying to establish a successful sports franchise, thankfully that's not what this is about.

It is a dumb decision in the context of rugby league as a sport, I can think of 600 million reasons why it's not so bad for the NRL as a business though. In the grand scheme of things it's chump change to the government as far as buying influence goes, and the inherent risk remains with them. I'd rather 'pay' for a dingy NRL team now than whatever it would cost to counter a Chinese presence in the Pacific later.

 

[Disco]

I love topics like this because the Silvertails Braintrust and Ironstines come out in force - loud, proud and wrong as always!

Anyway I can't believe Labor has spent $60M a year on shoring up PNG, don't they know there's homeless people in the streets here and the government is incapable of doing more than one thing at a time. It's not like PNG is a resource rich, horribly unstable country on our doorstep that is currently being subverted by Chinese debt diplomacy. If only their national sport was rugby league we could threaten to pull their NRL team which would provide significant influence and leverage. It's a shame really since we all know the only thing that upsets the locals is less strip mining and China Aid banners in Port Moresby 🙁

I'm sure the superior economic managers from the LNP and their 200 IQ strategy of letting the Solomon Islands sign a security agreement with China was a bright idea to the loud minority, it didn't cost The Taxpayer™ a cent after all! While we're on the topic can any of you remind me, how much will our non-existent submarines and vaporware nuclear power (5% baseload btw) cost?

Then again the real issue here is POLITICS IN SPORTS! This is the rainbow jersey all over again and honestly I can't believe Penn would do this, he must be SACKED 😡 Yes, Rugby League may have been created for political purposes and yes, sports and politics have been intertwined since inception but that's besides the point. I want to watch jacked men in skintight attire slam into each other, fiercely wrestling for dominance. I don't want any WOKE rubbish in my football!

By the way how about that 6 again rule and the referees these days, THEY'RE RUINING THE GAME! Absolute joke I tell ya, the games gone soft and even worse they refused to lower the volume of the music at the ground (I'm deaf but that's not important). Needless to say I won't be renewing my season pass after being a loyal member since the Paleozoic Era!

Alright I think hit all bases with this one, God I love this place.

Yikes

I just reckon the footy team will struggle...

 

[Rocky]

The expansion in Super Rugby was a factor in killing that competition.

Ok the NRL isn't going to die but diluting the product and forcing an expansion isn't a positive.

 

[Bearfax]

Remember the cap & the football department , plus all air travel , is funded by the NRL.

So, in reality , the 60 million is to make up for what will be an almost total lack of big money sponsors.

And that’s where the corruption comes in.

Most of the $60 million will be pissed up against the wall by corrupt locals.

There’s no doubt they are RL mad up there and they’ll sell out every game ( for not much money as the locals have bugger all ) and it will add an additional game each week ( at what time they fit it in who knows , possibly they’ll go back to Monday night games again).

But that’s all they’ll get out of it .

It’s the dumbest decision ever made by the NRL, but I have a feeling they’ve been heavily leaned on by the government of the day to make that choice.

One of the biggest concerns is who would want to join them from the NRL. Talk suggests they would have to live in enclosed security monitored accommodation. I would actually love it if it worked. I'm all for expansion of the code and keep hoping Perth will be next cab off the rank. Its going to have to be very carefully monitored. As said, RL is their primary code and there may well be some champion players coming out of the decision. I'm just very uncertain that the system there is ready for such a responsibility, without causing a train wreck through corruption and potentially violence.

 

[Mark from Brisbane]

One of the biggest concerns is who would want to join them from the NRL. Talk suggests they would have to live in enclosed security monitored accommodation. I would actually love it if it worked. I'm all for expansion of the code and keep hoping Perth will be next cab off the rank. Its going to have to be very carefully monitored. As said, RL is their primary code and there may well be some champion players coming out of the decision. I'm just very uncertain that the system there is ready for such a responsibility, without causing a train wreck through corruption and potentially violence.

As I mentioned somewhere earlier , a mates son flies for Air NG.

He’s single , only doing it for 3 years to build up hours and then go for a job with Emirates but his Dad said to me in a text “ good luck with the NRL players but my son has to live in a fully secure gated community with 24/7 security patrols with transport to the airport and back in a bullet proof armoured truck.

There’s absolutely zero life outside of the compound so he flies in , does 3 weeks flying , then flies back to Brisbane for 10 days off and then back for another 3 weeks.

No life at all for families / kids

Money will be a huge factor but I can’t see too many wives wanting to pack up the kids and live like that from November to September.

If they’d based them in Cairns , and flown them in & back out for game days in POM I reckon that could work, but home basing them in Moresby , yeah dunno.

 

[Bearfax]

As I mentioned somewhere earlier , a mates son flies for Air NG.

He’s single , only doing it for 3 years to build up hours and then go for a job with Emirates but his Dad said to me in a text “ good luck with the NRL players but my son has to live in a fully secure gated community with 24/7 security patrols with transport to the airport and back in a bullet proof armoured truck.

There’s absolutely zero life outside of the compound so he flies in , does 3 weeks flying , then flies back to Brisbane for 10 days off and then back for another 3 weeks.

No life at all for families / kids

Money will be a huge factor but I can’t see too many wives wanting to pack up the kids and live like that from November to September.

If they’d based them in Cairns , and flown them in & back out for game days in POM I reckon that could work, but home basing them in Moresby , yeah dunno.

I understand Mark. Like I said I've a mate who is quite dubious of the decision. Another old flame who spent her early years in Port Moresby tells of some difficult moments as a teenager. All I can suggest is sometimes sport settles things down a little. Like I said the Romans understood that with bread and circuses, as it distracted the masses. Mind you in later Roman history in Constantinople opposing sporting supporters called the Greens and the Blues turned political and ended up battling on the streets. Time will tell.