Boars, Butterflies Or Bees? Competition Opens To Name Nrl’s New Png Team

Following nan Perth Bears, nan adjacent franchise to subordinate nan National Rugby League title whitethorn conscionable beryllium nan PNG Boars. Or will it beryllium nan Hunters, nan Chiefs aliases moreover nan Coastal Thunderhawks?

That will beryllium decided successful coming months aft nan NRL’s Papua New Guinea franchise launched an world call-out for suggestions, giving fans 2 weeks to travel up pinch an personality for nan caller entity.

Prime curate James Marape it was an important measurement for much than conscionable nan club. “This squad must beryllium owned by nan group of Papua New Guinea,” he said. “It must show our nationalist unification communicative and resonate pinch nan thought of 1 people, 1 nation, 1 country.”

At an arena astatine nan National Stadium successful Port Moresby connected Wednesday, Marape was joined by Australian High Commissioner to PNG, Ewen McDonald, and franchise main executive Andrew Hill.

“We nary longer want to beryllium a franchise, we nary longer want to beryllium a bid, we really want to beryllium a club,” Hill said. “Before we go a club, we request a name.”

On nan website for submissions, Boars, Chiefs and Coastal Thunderhawks are suggested, but wrong hours societal media has been flooded by hundreds much options.

The PNG Hunters is an early favourite, fixed a squad nether that banner has competed successful nan Queensland Cup title since 2014. There person besides been much caller proposals.

“The fitting sanction would beryllium PNG Traders,” 1 said. “The sanction powerfully takes america backmost to nan days of our ancestors anterior to nan presence of colonisers into PNG.” Another projected nan PNG Flames “since we person galore progressive volcanoes”.

PNG Butterflies and PNG Bees featured successful 1 pitch, continuing a taxable for nan earthy world that included nan Birds of Paradise and nan PNG Hornbills, known locally arsenic Kokomos.

Another instrumentality wanted nan Muruks, a assortment of cassowary, because it is “an iconic and formidable bird” that “represents power, agility, and a heavy relationship to nan earthy environment”.

At nan extremity of August, 5 names will beryllium selected by nan club’s committee to advancement to a 2nd shape which will impact a nationalist vote.

“At this shape though, we request everybody that’s willing to springiness america a sanction truthful we tin return guardant and move this franchise into a thriving NRL club,” Hill said, confirming nan process was unfastened to anyone astir nan world arsenic agelong arsenic they were “connected to PNG”.

The club’s introduction into nan NRL was confirmed past twelvemonth acknowledgment to a $600m promise from nan Australian authorities to PNG and Pacific rugby league.

Yet nan caller franchise – owed to participate nan NRL successful 2028 – arsenic already faced challenges. Bid president and businessman Wapu Sonk stepped down from nan board owed to allegations of corruption made successful July unrelated to nan team. He has denied immoderate wrongdoing and said nan claims are “baseless”.

Similar fan-driven naming processes person been undertaken for clubs successful caller decades, including for nan Tasmania Devils successful nan AFL, and are designed to link clubs pinch imaginable fans earlier nan players return nan field.

Marape said has entered a suggestion, but he told section media would not uncover it. “I don’t want to power nan mindset of nan country,” he said.