Papua New Guinea Kumuls and St George Illawarra centre, Nene Mcdonald has become the first current NRL player to show interest in representing PNG if and when there is a team in the NRL.
The country’s love and passion for the sport was shown when many packed the National Football Stadium during the World Cup.
A push for the game to expand to the country is getting closer every year.
Though Papua New Guinea has the ability to host Rugby League matches, having a team in one of the World’s best Rugby League competitions will mean having different pathway programs in place.
McDonald said though there is a lot of talent, PNG must have an effective junior program in order to support a professional team.
PNGRFL has put in place plans on effectively developing the code in the country, building a pathway starting with the junior development programs through to the Hunters program.
With the success of the Hunters program and the growth of junior development in the country, it is just a matter of time before PNG will be able to enter a team in the National Rugby League competition.
