The former captains of Papua New Guinea’s men’s and women’s rugby league sides have implored the NRL and the Australian government to include an NRLW team in any expansion of the league into their country, amid calls to recognise the potential for social change in the women’s game.
Australia’s minister for the pacific, Pat Conroy, confirmed last week the Australian government was discussing what resources it could offer to help support a PNG bid to become the 18th NRL club.
His government has already pledged $5.5m this year for rugby league pathways in the country. Any PNG NRL franchise is likely to need tens of millions of dollars of annual Australian taxpayer support.
The inaugural captain of the Orchids, PNG women’s rugby league side, Cathy Neap, said the introduction of a side in the NRLW, not just the NRL, “would change totally the way people see women”.
“If we get our girls to play in an NRLW team, I know the same amount of respect they give to the NRL players they will give to our girls as well,” Neap said.
More than 1.5 million people experience gender-based violence in the country each year – in excess of 10% of the estimated population.
The former Kumuls captain David Mead said he supports NRL expansion into PNG but urged those involved in the attempt to prioritise the women’s game.
“It’s a nation that’s still developing in terms of the way the role of the woman is seen,” he said. “You get an NRLW team from PNG, that whole perception, the whole cultural shift occurs much faster.
“The benefit that that would have on a nation like PNG is unimaginable, how much contribution that NRLW team, the impact that it would have on the country.”
The national women’s side debuted in 2017 before that year’s World Cup. Initially they received abuse, and bottles were thrown on to the field when they played. But they have emerged as a source of pride for the country, where rugby league is the national sport, and recorded an upset victory over England in 2019.
Orchids centre Shellie Long said having an NRLW side would give women a “sense of respect” in the community. “The talent that PNG has to offer in the women’s game and the women’s space is incredible.”
Having moved to Australia as a baby, Long is one of seven Australian-based members of the Orchids, and said her international teammates have had to overcome discrimination to get where they are.
“I think the progression is definitely there, but it’s still a long way to go for the women and it’s a tough life for them living there as well,” she said.
Neap, who has also worked in PNG rugby league for close to a decade, said local players who have played for the Orchids have been able to secure financial independence, and introducing an NRLW team would increase their opportunities.
“We have some girls who played in the World Cup come back and from the money they got, were able to start off their life and economically be independent,” she said.
“When a woman is independent, they can escape gender violence. If their husband is cheating on them, or is abusive over them, they can leave their husband because they are economically independent.”
The Orchids assistant coach and three-time NRLW premiership winner, Meg Ward, said having an NRLW team representing PNG would promote respect for women more than once or twice a year when the Orchids play.
“If they could constantly see girls, making a change and doing better for themselves and showing other girls and women what’s out there, and how strong they can be … I just think a competition like that would be massive,” she said.
Conroy said the government is having discussions with representatives from the bid team and has flagged the allocation of Australian taxpayer funds.
“It’s really important that the NRL and the Papua New Guineans are in this and the Australian government stands ready to support it where it is appropriate,” he said.
A bid from PNG is seeking to enter the NRL as the league’s 18th team when the league expands around 2027. The 10-team NRLW is set to expand in coming years.
