Expansion is set to be confirmed, and there are plenty of questions to be answered.
NRL expansion is set to be confirmed within the next week as the Papua New Guinean bid wins the race to become Team 18.
While they won’t join the competition until at least the start of 2028, it gives the outfit time to set themselves up.
Unlike the Dolphins who joined as Team 17 with a short period to ready themselves for NRL action, the Papua New Guinea team needs to set an organisation up from the ground up.
That will take time, and it’s time the NRL are keen on giving them, with funding also ticked off from the Australian federal government to bankroll the team throughout their first decade of existence.
The Papua New Guinean team has major ramifications for the competition as a whole, and other expansion bids, so here is what it all means, and how it has come to be.
Where did the funding come from?
The Australian Federal government have bankrolled the team in Port Moresby, with the widespread belief that it was the most effective way to ensure support of the national government amid expanding China influence in the Pacific region.
Papua New Guinea’s foregin minister Justin Tkatchenko however told The Sydney Morning Herald last week that it has nothing to do with China.
“It will really make, I think, a lot of dreams come true for thousands of Papua New Guineans,” he said.
“For PNG, it will really boost our economy as well. It will also put PNG more on the map.
“Australia has been concerned and has discussed the issue of China on its influence in the Pacific and Papua New Guinea
“China has nothing to do with this at all. I’m very clear on that. This is all about Australia and PNG’s relationship with nothing else in between.”
Whether that is the case or not, the federal government in Australia have committed $600 million over a ten-year period towards what will become the NRL’s 18th club, while the Papua New Guinea government have also contributed an estimated $38 million (AUD) next year, and the same amount for each of the next three years to get the team off the ground.
That will allow all necessary infrastructure to be built, as well as upgrades to the Port Moresby national stadium, an accommodation village and a high performance centre.
How will the team attract players?
Maybe the trickiest question to answer for the new expansion franchise, although financial incentives have reportedly already been put in place to help the Port Moresby-based outfit secure players.
The biggest advantage for players will be that they are exempt from paying tax. The team would have no salary cap allowance, but not paying tax on such a high wage could result in a significant financial bump for players over a multi-year period.
There is also the added incentive of a secure accommodation village being set up for players which will take away from any concerns players have around security in a country which is not as safe as the one they would be leaving.
It’s also believed that fixtures would be made in a way that allowed the team to spend multiple weeks at a time in Australia, rather than flying back and forth every week throughout the length of the campaign.
Questions will remain though despite all of that.
The bottom line is that the Dolphins, located less than an hour outside of Brisbane, had their own issues attracting marquee talent. Port Moresby certainly isn’t Brisbane or Redcliffe, so just when this team will be competitive – who knows.
What happens to the competition?
First and foremost, 18 teams means the bye will cease to exist. That will also mean there will be nine games per weekend.
At the basic level, it means more money in the TV deal, more content for fans, and a restructuring of the season.
What is unlikely to change – at least in the interim with 18 teams – is the fact teams play 24 games per year. All it will mean is one less double up fixture per team each season.
What happens to byes – and the number of weeks a team has off during the season – also remains to be seen, and will likely see a full restructure of the State of Origin period.
News Corp are reporting that the Origin period currently has a number of options on the table under the new TV deal, and one of them could well see all three games played in back-to-back weeks, and the NRL going on a mid-season break while they are.
It has long been thought that a representative break, complete with other international fixtures, could well be the way forward for the NRL.
The competition could also look at split rounds which have been made popular in the AFL to ensure teams – including those who play Origin or internationals – get a break during the campaign.
What about other expansion bids?
The NRL certainly aren’t about to stop at 18 teams. Papua New Guinea might be about to get the nod to become the next team in the competition, but NRL CEO Andrew Abdo and Australian Rugby League Chairman Peter V’Landys have been very clear in their previous message – they want a 20-team NRL competition.
Perth, where the Perth Bears were lining up to become an option, is the next most obvious choice for expansion.
Big crowds have attended both State of Origin matches, and NRL games taken across the country, and the timezone is an obvious winning sell for TV markets, whether that be the Sunday twilight game, or a late Friday or Saturday game in the Eastern markets where the majority of TV audiences tune in from.
Queensland is also an option, with bid options still on the table to further expand in the Sunshine State.
New Zealand is likely the third option. There are three separate bids on the table form the double island nation at this point, although conflict has emerged this week, with Warriors’ CEO Cameron George suggesting the nation won’t be ready for a second team in the next decade.
Which players will the new Papua New Guinea team target?
Papua New Guinea born or heritage players are the most obvious starting point for the franchise, with Xavier Coates and Justin Olam likely at the top of the list.
There are plenty of players with heritage or who were born in the nation currently plying their trade in the English Super League as well, and that could be a target.
Off-contract at the end of 2027 across the NRL includes plenty of players who could be options too, with the likes of Brendan Piakura, Stephen Crichton, Corey Horsburgh, Briton Nikora, Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow, Eliesa Katoa, Bradman Best, Scott Drinkwater, J’maine Hopgood, Moses Suli, Spencer Leniu, Victor Radley, Sunia Turuva and, maybe more enticingly, Nathan Cleary, all off-contract at the end of 2027.
