Papua New Guinea National Rugby League
Rugby league competition
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Papua New Guinea National Rugby League Competition (or the PNGNRL for short, for sponsorship reasons the PNGNRL Digicel-ExxonMobil Cup) is a semi-professional rugby league competition held annually in Papua New Guinea. Changes in sponsorship have meant it was Formerly known as the SP Inter-City Cup or SP Cup (1990–2008) and later the Bemobile Cup (2009–2010). The current competition is sponsored by pacific telecommunications giant Digicel and new co-naming rights sponsor ExxonMobil[1] (one of the world's largest publicly traded oil and gas companies) which joined in 2023 and so it is currently called the Digicel-ExxonMobil Cup.[2]
Bemobile Cup (2009–10)
Digicel Cup (2011–2022)
Digicel-ExxonMobil Cup (2023–present)
Current season or competition: 2024 PNGNRL season | |
| |
| Sport | Rugby league |
|---|---|
| Formerly known as | SP Cup (1990–2005) Bemobile Cup (2009–10) Digicel Cup (2011–2022) Digicel-ExxonMobil Cup (2023–present) |
| Instituted | 2005 |
| Inaugural season | 1990 (as SP Cup) |
| Chair | Stanley Hondina |
| Number of teams | 12 |
| Country | Papua New Guinea |
| Premiers | Lae Snax Tigers (2025) |
| Most titles | Rabaul Gurias (6 titles) |
History
Previous to 2005 the PNG NRL was called the SP Inter-City Cup. The national competition was known as the SP Cup, and has been held since 1990. No competition was held in 2004 due to financial problems and province violence in certain provinces.[citation needed] But the competition returned for 2005 season as the new-look PNGNRL.
The 2005 season had eight teams in total from all around Papua New Guinea. In 2006, one team got relegated (Monier Broncos) to make way for two new teams, Central Raiders and Pagini Warriors. The inaugural winner of the competition was the Agmark Gurias who beat the Brian Bell Bulldogs in Port Moresby.
In 2009, local mobile telecommunication Company, Bemobile, took over from SP Brewery as the competitions major sponsor. Currently 9 teams compete in the competition.[3]
On February 9, 2011, telecommucations company Digicel who has taken over the industry in PNG since its operation started in 2007, announced that it will be sponsoring PNG's premier sporting event for the next five years.[4]
Sponsorship Names
- SP Inter-City Cup – (1990–2008)
- Bemobile Cup – (2009–10)
- Digicel Cup – (2011–2022)
- Digicel-ExxonMobil Cup -- (2023 -- present)
Teams
| 2025 Digicel Cup Teams | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | Stadium | City/Area | ||
 Central Dabaris |
Oil Search National Football Stadium | Port Moresby, National Capital District | ||
 Enga Mioks |
Johnson Siki Aipus | Wabag, Enga Province | ||
 Goroka Lahanis |
National Sports Institute | Goroka, Eastern Highlands Province | ||
 Gulf Isou |
Oil Search National Football Stadium | Kerema, Gulf Province | ||
 Hela Wigmen |
Oil Search National Football Stadium | Tari Hela Province | ||
 Kimbe Cutters |
Muthuvel Stadium | Kimbe, West New Britain Province | ||
 Lae Snax Tigers |
Lae League Oval | Lae, Morobe Province | ||
 Mendi Muruks |
Joseph Keviame Oval | Mendi, Southern Highlands Province | ||
 Mt. Hagen Eagles |
Rebiamul Oval | Mt. Hagen, Western Highlands Province | ||
 Port Moresby Vipers |
Oil Search National Football Stadium | Port Moresby, National Capital District | ||
 Rabaul Gurias |
Kalabond Oval | Kokopo, East New Britain Province | ||
 Waghi Tumbe |
Minj Oval | Minj, Jiwaka Province | ||
History of Premiers
Performance by team
| Team | Win | Runners Up | Winning years | Runners Up years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rabaul Gurias | 6 | 8 | 2001, 2003, 2005, 2009, 2012, 2015 | 1999, 2000, 2002, 2007, 2011, 2016, 2017, 2022 |
| Goroka Lahanis | 5 | 5 | 1993, 1999, 2010, 2011, 2018 | 1994, 2001, 2005, 2006, 2013, 2023 |
| Port Moresby Vipers | 5 | 2 | 1990, 1991, 1992, 1994, 2013 | 1993, 2005 (as Port Moresby Bulldogs) |
| Lae Snax Tigers | 5 | 1 | 2016, 2017, 2019, 2021 | 2020, 2025 |
| Mendi Muruks | 4 | 5 | 1996, 2006, 2007, 2008 | 1995, 1998, 2010, 2012, 2025 |
| Mt Hagen Eagles | 3 | 4 | 1997, 1998, 2024 | 1990, 1991, 1992, 2008 |
| Hela Wigmen | 3 | 2 | 2014, 2020, 2022 | 2019, 2024 |
| Lae Bombers | 2 | 2 | 1995, 2002 | 1997, 2003 |
| Enga Mioks | 2 | 2 | 2000, 2023 | 2009, 2018 |
| Mendi Menjals | 1 | 0 | 2004 | |
| Waghi Tumbe | 0 | 1 | 2021 | |
| Popondetta Butterflies | 0 | 1 | 2004 | |
| TNA Simbu Lions | 0 | 1 | 2015 | |
| Simbu Warriors | 0 | 1 | 1996 | |
