'You won't be disappointed': Inside celebrations for new PNG team
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Papua New Guinea Prime Minister James Marape told NRL bosses Peter V’landys and Andrew Abdo after the announcement that a PNG team would join the NRL: “You will not be disappointed”.
Marape, who made the announcement alongside Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, was greeted by a round of applause as he walked into a room of supporters after the press conference at the Commonwealth Government Offices in Sydney.
Among them were Minister for Defence Industry Pat Conroy, High Commissioner to PNG John Feakes, PNGRFL chairman Sandis Tsaka and fellow directors, DFAT staff, PNG Bid team CEO Andrew Hill and chairman Wapu Sonk, Kumuls great Marcus Bai and representatives of some of PNG’s biggest companies.
Introducing V’landys as “bossman of Australian Rugby League” and Abdo as “bossman of the NRL”, Marape thanked them for the decision to admit a PNG team in 2028 and promised to deliver millions of new supporters.
“You will not be disappointed. We will bring to you more spectators and online viewers,” Marape said.
“We hold the title as the only country that claims rugby league as a national sport.
“We have got over 100,000 Papuans here and we are looking for an airline sponsor because every time when our team is playing in Melbourne or Townsville or Brisbane or Sydney, we will get about 5000 people moving in and out.”
And Marape declared the PNG team would be a winning one.
“Trust me, within 10 years we will lift the trophy," Marape said. "I want to indicate to everyone in Australia and back home that we’re not just filling the numbers to make us feel good. Far from it, we want to win the competition.”
Hill, who was behind the decision to host 2017 World Cup matches in Port Moresby and served as Bulldogs CEO before taking charge of the PNG NRL Bid, spoke next.
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After three years of working to set up pathways and infrastructure, while trying to convince governments, the ARL Commision and NRL clubs of the value of a PNG team, Hill was emotional as the enormity of the achievement sunk in.
“I feel enormous relief for the people of PNG who have been holding their breath for many weeks and months for today’s announcement," he said.
“I feel enormous relief that everyone in this room and every volunteer, every boy and girl, every man and woman who loves our great game back in PNG gets to celebrate what has been an enormous gift for the country – a long-held ambition to play in the NRL.
To actually say it ... my voice still quivers to say that we are actually in the NRL.
“I am very honoured to be asked to lead this, so to Sandis, to the Prime Minister and to Wapu, thank you. It is pretty special."
With senior figures from Santos, Digicel, Kumul Petroleum and K92 Mining in the room, Marape said the team would be financially supported by a "family of sponsors".
Sonk, who is the managing director of Kumul Petroleum, said the hard work would now begin.
"I want to congratulate everyone who has been involved in getting us to this point here," he said.
"Without all of your support ... from all of our political sponsors and the team behind getting to this point it would never be possible. I am honoured to be here standing beside the Prime Minister and announcing the NRL team.
"I look forward to the hard work that starts today. It is going to be a long road and real work.
"We are now going to kick start our campaign; kick starting our membership drive, kick starting our sponsorship drive and basically kick starting the lead up to 2028."
