Why recruitment will be the main issue for new PNG NRL team

NRL legend Corey Parker believes a new PNG side in the competition will find it extremely difficult to recruit players after ARL Chairman Peter V’Landys recently revealed the players would be based there instead of in North Queensland.

Reports came through yesterday that the PNG bid was going ahead, even though the head of the bid in Andrew Hill said to SEN.com.au it was “too early” to confirm.

But after V’Landys said the team would be based in PNG instead of Cairns, as previously thought, Parker said he couldn’t imagine moving his family there to play.

“From my understanding I thought players were going to be based out of Cairns,” he said on SENQ.

“From my point of view, every time I’ve been to PNG, it’s probably four or five times, your graced in welcome, you have like rockstar status over there but I can’t imagine uprooting my family and going to live in PNG.”

Parker, who played 327 games in the NRL for the Brisbane Broncos and had experience playing in PNG where rugby league is a religion, said living arrangements for players would have to be different.

“You’d have to live in somewhat of a compound so I thought the players would’ve been based out of Cairns and they’d spend a time in PNG, both playing and training at different stages, but that might not be the case going forward,” he said.

“It’s going to be extremely difficult (to recruit players).

“There’d have to be some type of compensation from a monetary value to get players to go and live in PNG.”

The deal between the NRL and Federal Government to establish the new club in PNG is believed to be worth up to $600 million.

PNG, if confirmed by the NRL, would be the 17th team in the competition with other bids, such as Perth and the North Sydney Bears, putting their hands up for further expansion.