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In a special episode of The Tip Sheet, long-time friend of the Throw and rugby league guru Joey Grima joins Sixties and Forty20 to share the latest on the growth of rugby league in Papua New Guinea.
Joey talks to the boys about his new life in Port Moresby and just how deep-rooted the passion for rugby league is across the country. As PNG begin to seriously ramp up their bid to join the NRL as its 18th franchise, Grima details his own gargantuan undertaking that will be one of the pillars to the process. With a vision built around challenging the nurseries of Penrith, Parramatta and Brisbane Joey is bringing over 700 players across male and female pathways under a unified and centralised coaching structure.
Passion for the great game of rugby league has never been something that Joey was ever short of but his journey with the PNG rugby league has kindled his love of the code to new heights. TCT will be with Joey and the PNG bid through every step of the way, supporting and documenting the story!
PNG is the seriously worst decision if it goes ahead made by PVL. It makes zero rugby league or commercial sense.
What is your reasoning for that Brett? Did you get the opportunity to listen to the podcast?
1) Climate … it’s prohibitive for professional rugby league
2) Crime … Port Moresby is officially the most dangerous city in the southern hemisphere & the most dangerous in the world to be a woman. Its violent crime rate is 30 times greater than Sydney.
3) Commercial … the NRL is first and for most a commercial entity, if it requires government to to sustain it; and it will, then it does not belong in the NRL.
4) Players … PNG barely produced enough players to fill a semi competitive in the Q Cup, no chance of ever being competitive in the NRL, unless you think someone like Cal Munster is gonna say, “Babe, pack your bags, we’re moving to a city where you are 200 times more likely to be raped for the next four years !!!”
Sorry, Perth has always been the obvious choice for expansion.
Climate – is it very different to Townsville?
Crime – so we should never take rugby league matches or tests to PNG?
Commercial – that will be determined by the details in the bid
Players – you might be correct about attracting older married elite players, but money and opportunity will get players, and the pathways will in time produce home grown talent – have you listened to the podcast as yet?
Perth – I’ve long been an advocate of a Perth team and PVL has talked three teams.
1) Yes it absolutely is. In winter Townsville gets down 21, and even then we still play at night time most of the time, PM rarely gets below 27deg, even in July or August.
2) Apples and oranges. Taking a team up there for a few days is fine, but asking players and their families to live 24/7 in what would amount to an armed compound is completely different.
3) It’s already been conceded that it will be heavily dependent on both Australian & PNG government funding.
4) They might, might attract some young guys desperate for a chance, but once they make their name they’ll come back too an Australian club faster than you can say “cannibal”.
The Q Cup is the best place for PNG, hell even Justin Olam thinks it’s a bad idea. The NRL is not a pathways league, it’s not a participation league, it’s a professional league.
18th team should be Perth, preferably the Western Reds.
19th team should be Adelaide; preferably the Rams.
20th team should be Christchurch, but not the horrible Keas name.
After that it should be Ipswich, 2nd Melbourne, 2nd Auckland & Wellington.
I will be interested in who makes the decision vlandys or albanese , its political nt football .
The size of the pathways system that Joey set up and is about to be launched is massive. Congrats mate