expansion, 18th team, PNG, Papua New Guinea Kumuls, when?, 2025, where will they be based, Cairns, Port Moresby, Pasifika team

The North Sydney Bears, losing $11 million in funding promised by the NSW government, have put Papua New Guinea in the box to be named the 18th NRL team, apparently as early as 2025.

Public funding promised by Dom Perrottet’s deposed Liberal government in the run-up to this year’s election has been abandoned by new Labor Prime Minister Chris Minns.

The federal government, on the other hand, has supported PNG becoming the next NRL expansion team, as part of a move by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to improve international relations.

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The PNG Hunters joined the Queensland Cup in 2014 and won the title in 2017 – the same year the national team reached the quarter-finals of the Rugby League World Cup.

PNG hosted Australia’s PM’s XIII in Port Moresby last month and the Kumuls more than held their own against a team full of NRL stars.

They then beat the Cook Islands last weekend in their opening match of the Pacific Championships as PNG’s expansion bid gains serious momentum.

Thanks to the Dolphins’ successful entry into the NRL this year, the Kumuls could join the competition as early as 2025 – according to journalist Michelle Bishop.

“There’s so much going on behind the scenes and my message is that it’s just a one-horse race,” Bishop told SEN Radio.

“PNG, in 2025, will become the 18th franchise.

“We saw these incredible scenes when the Prime Minister’s team went there, our Australian players were completely mobbed. It’s like a religion.

“I’m happy to release it, I don’t think it’s too far from being announced or made official.”

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Australia’s Deputy Prime Minister, Richard Marles, said last year that “the time is right” for a PNG team in the NRL, with Rugby League World Cup boss Andrew Hill also pushing in this sense.

Hill is the lead consultant for PNG’s bid and said last year that three options were being considered: an outright PNG team, a partnership model and a Pasifika model.

A partnership model would likely see the team based in Cairns and play half of its home matches in Port Moresby.

Super Rugby has provided a Pasifika case study for the NRL with its latest Moana Pasifika expansion.

Moana entered the competition in 2022 and is made up of players from Pacific Island nations as well as Australians from Pacific Island backgrounds.

“We saw in Super Rugby they created a Pasifika team,” Hill said.

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“While we believe Pacific rugby league is much stronger, this gives us the confidence to discuss what a Pacific team could look like.

“Obviously PNG would lead these discussions, but it’s clear that the PNG government’s real objective is to get more PNG content and licensing based there.

“We have seen how committed our NRL players are to representing their Pacific heritage, culture and families.

“The passion of the players is getting stronger and bigger.”

Samoa and Parramatta captain Junior Paulo previously said he would play for a Pasifika NRL team.

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