In the decade former rugby league player Dave Maiden has been travelling to Papua New Guinea – the Australian neighbour where the federal government warns tourists to “exercise caution” when visiting – he remembers only one incident when he was nervous about his safety.
A bus of visiting players was close to cutting off another driver, leading to a tense confrontation with local motorists.
But then one of the men involved realised it was a Queensland Rugby League bus, and he had played alongside Maiden in the past. The situation was defused immediately.
“The reality is that with a [PNG] Chiefs shirt or a QRL shirt, it’s like a suit of armour – nobody touches you,” says Maiden, a former North Queensland Cowboys and Hull KR lock who now serves as the QRL competitions manager.
“They know if they touch you, if there’s anything that happens to you, you jeopardise the whole rugby league program that brings NRL stars they see on TV.
“They’re so passionate about rugby league … and they want to see the highest-level players come there more often.
“You shouldn’t be blase about it because it is a third-world country and there are some desperate people there, but if you’re smart about it, there’s no reason why it wouldn’t be incident-free.”
Plans to assemble a squad for the Chiefs’ 2028 launch have begun under coach Willie Peters, following revelations Jarome Luai had visited Port Moresby and met with club officials.
But the need to live in a compound – as well as welfare concerns, with PNG’s crime rate the second-worst in the world – might sour the temptation for the game’s best to move north.
“They’ve just got to embrace the culture and understand it’s different,” Maiden says. “There are a lot of Aussies and Pommies over in PNG, and they have a great lifestyle.
“Just don’t do stupid shit, and you’ll be right. Don’t go out by yourself at night-time and don’t do stuff that you wouldn’t do in Australia in an unknown place.
“If I was a young player, it’s a great opportunity.”
Inside the 12-year mission
While the Australian government’s $600 million funding sealed the Chiefs’ berth, the seeds were planted when the QRL and PNG Rugby Football League brought the Hunters into the Queensland Cup in 2014.
Before that, Marcus Bai had been the most prominent countryman to make the NRL ranks. The PNGRFL believed QCup would present pathways for more to follow his lead.
Feuds between tribes had presented challenges.
But as PNG lock Cooper Bai says, “Rugby league … it’s probably the one thing that brings everyone together, even though there are a lot of dividing factors.”
A Kokopo-based living compound was devised. Even players who lived nearby moved to eliminate “disharmony”, and Maiden said rugby league became a “melting pot” for breaking down tensions.
“They pulled them all in, made it tough, pulled them away from their family and influences, and said ‘this is your family now’,” he says.
“They fed them, looked after them, trained them and put them through a fairly rigorous program. The feuds were forgotten.”
The Hunters won the competition in 2017, and now draw crowds of about 10,000 as the QRL supports the game’s growth through participation, coaching, administration and operation training.
Maiden says that in 2021, 22 people in PNG held level two coaching certifications. That has since exploded.
“It’s a mindset. To them, picking somebody up and burying their head into the ground is absolutely cheered,” Maiden says.
“It’s a very simple, one-out style of play over there. It’s very masculine in that if you can dominate your opposition just by running over the top of them, you’ve done your job, as opposed to some skill – which they have.
“If somebody doesn’t impart the knowledge, that dies with you when you move on and everyone’s starting from scratch again.
“We’ve played our part, but don’t underestimate the fact they’re very passionate about their own sport. They’ve certainly got some very passionate and capable people in place there.”
The promise of opportunity
How long the QRL remains actively involved with growing the PNG landscape remains unclear.
QRL chief executive Ben Ikin says the governance of the PNGRFL across all levels has come a long way since the two bodies began working together. But their Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade contract ends in December 2027.
Ikin believes a successful Chiefs side would “have little correlation to the state of the game locally”.
“Success at the NRL level will be wholly determined by the quality of staff and players you recruit from around the world, not just PNG,” Ikin says.
“What I can say is, the more successful the Chiefs are, the bigger the social impact rugby league will make across the country.”
While Chiefs boss Lorna McPherson says they hope to ensure a third of the Chiefs’ squad is PNG talent, Maiden says “you can’t have an imported side”. He says 60 per cent to 70 per cent of the team need to be PNG locals.
“They love visiting teams, they’ll treat you like royalty, but they want to worship their own,” he says.
If the Chiefs adhere to Maiden’s formula, opportunity beckons for those yet to play NRL, such as 2025 Kumuls debutant Dudley Dotoi.
Homesickness plagued Dotoi’s first NRL experience at Wests Tigers, but his arrival at the Townsville Blackhawks and a reality check by coach Terry Campese led to a breakout 2025 campaign.
Standout PNG players not in the NRL or with the Hunters
- Morea Morea (fullback, London Broncos); Off contract 2026
- Dudley Dotoi (wing, Townsville Blackhawks); Unsigned
- Edwin Ipape; (hooker, Leigh Leopards); Off contract 2031
- Rhyse Martin (lock, Hull KR); Off contract 2026
- Nixon Putt (second row, Central Queensland Capras); Unsigned
- Lachlan Lam (halfback, Leigh Leopards); Off contract 2027
- Sylvester Namo (prop, Brisbane Tigers); Unsigned
- Liam Horne (prop, Leigh Leopards); Off contract 2028
- Jacob Alick (second row, Leigh Leopards); Off contract 2028
- Epel Kapinias (prop, London Broncos); Off contract 2026
- Nene Macdonald (wing/centre, St Helens); Off contract 2027
- Gairo Voro (five-eighth, London Broncos); Off contract 2027
- Finley Glare (hooker, London Broncos); Off contract 2026
- Robert Mathias (centre, London Broncos); Off contract 2026
- Judah Rimbu (hooker/five-eighth, Brisbane Tigers); Unsigned
The 22-year-old topped the QCup for tries (26) and linebreaks (36), and while he has fallen out of favour at the Blackhawks for the past month, dares to envision a Chiefs call-up.
“We knew on the field I could pretty much do anything – it was the off-field stuff that was my weakness,” Dotoi says.
“If I get all the off-field stuff right, footy comes naturally.
“I’m happy to go over and play for the Chiefs if I ever get the chance.”
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