Papua New Guinea Chiefs

Papua New Guinean rugby league in Australia

Rugby league is the most popular sport in Papua New Guinea^[5] and even regarded its national sport,^[6] and efforts to launch an NRL team in the country date back to 2008, when prime minister Sir Michael Somare announced a Papua New Guinean bid.^[7] In 2014, the Papua New Guinea Hunters entered the state level Queensland Cup competition, going on to win the premiership in 2017.^[8]

In February 2021, PNG Prime Minister James Marape declared his hopes of an NRL side in the country by 2025.^[9] Through 2023 and 2024, a Papua New Guinea bid was viewed as a frontrunner to enter the NRL, in light of an Australian Government plan to invest $600 million over a 10-year period in rugby league and socio-economic programs in the country.^[10] Discussions have included a proposal from ARLC chairman Peter V'landys to offer tax-free status to rugby league players who played for a Papua New Guinea NRL team.^[11]

On 12 December, 2024, a Papua New Guinea team in the NRL was formally announced, with the team planned to begin playing in the league in 2028.^[3] The name and colours of the team are yet to be determined.^{[citation needed]}

On 24 June 2025, the ARLC boss V'landys met with Marape to unveil the new franchise's seven-person board chaired by former Bulldogs supremo Ray Dib.^[12] Dib was unveiled as PNG's first chair and will head-up a seven-person board that includes Melbourne Storm legend Marcus Bai. The other board members are Lorna McPherson, Richard Pegum, Stan Joyce, Wapu Sonk and Ian Tarutia.^[12]

On 12 October 2025, before the Prime Minister's XIII test between Papua New Guinea and Australia, Marape announced the franchises name as the 'PNG Chiefs', set be the 19th active franchise to join the National Rugby League from the 2028 season ^[13]

Security agreement

The Chiefs will be funded by a A$600 million package from the Australian government over a ten-year period,^[4] as part of the NRL's Pacific Rugby League Partnership which supports and provides investment into grassroots, pathways, and elite rugby league across Papua New Guinea, Tonga, Samoa and Fiji.^[3]

In a separate deal, signed in exchange, the Papua New Guinean Government reaffirmed a security pact with Australia aimed at growing relations between Papua New Guinea and Australia and limiting China's influence in the region (in addition to other Pacific countries), in consideration of China's 2022 policing deal with the Solomon Islands. As part of the deal, Papua New Guinea are unable to sign into security agreements with any nation outside the "Pacific Family".^{[citation needed]}

If Australia deem Papua New Guinea to be in breach of this security pact, they reserve the right to withdraw funding for the team: in that case, the NRL would be required to remove the Chiefs from the competition.^[14][15][16]