Papua New Guinea's sports minister has made clear he wants the country's incoming NRL franchise to be given a place on the world stage from the moment it enters the competition in 2028, including a potential fixture at Las Vegas's Allegiant Stadium. Kinoka Feo, who flew into Las Vegas on Thursday local time for the opening round of the NRL season, said such a moment would capture the imagination of young Papua New Guineans in a way few sporting events ever could.
Feo held meetings in Las Vegas with Australian Rugby League Commission chairman Peter V'landys and NRL chief executive Andrew Abdo, and attended the round-one doubleheader and an English Super League match at Allegiant Stadium. The Chiefs, as the PNG franchise will be known, are a central piece of a 10-year, $600 million sports diplomacy package delivered by the Albanese government, with leaders in Port Moresby describing the team as a potential instrument of national unity and social transformation in a country of 12 million people.
"Obviously, they will want the best from within the NRL, but for Papua New Guineans, coming to the world stage would be something huge," Feo told the Sydney Morning Herald. "It would stir the imaginations of our young people. Just to get them to a place like Las Vegas or anywhere else on the world stage would be an inspiration."
The NRL is currently midway through a five-year agreement to open its season in Las Vegas and is exploring a broader global round that would place additional fixtures in international venues. Feo's comments signal that PNG intends to lobby for the Chiefs to be included in those arrangements rather than treated as a purely domestic add-on to the competition.
On the question of who should coach the side, Feo was enthusiastic about the prospect of luring veteran South Sydney mentor Wayne Bennett to Port Moresby. Bennett, 76, has publicly indicated the role may not suit him at this stage of his career, but V'landys has said he would welcome the association if Bennett changed his mind. The minister noted a personal connection: Bennett's brother previously coached Papua New Guinea's national team, the Kumuls, and the Kumuls trained at the Brisbane Broncos facility during Australian tours. Two other potential coaching candidates, Willie Peters of Hull KR and Brad Arthur, who oversees Leeds, were both in Las Vegas for the Super League fixture and represent live options for the club's management.
The Chiefs' CEO Lorna McPherson and general manager Michael Chammas are in Las Vegas alongside Feo, tasked with building the club from scratch. That includes identifying a head coach, recruiting players, and establishing the operational infrastructure for a franchise that will represent a nation where rugby league is unambiguously the dominant sport.
One of the more complex challenges will be attracting NRL-calibre players to Port Moresby. The current plan has players initially housed in a gated apartment complex near the city's airport, with the possibility of relocating to the waterfront as the city develops. Tax-free salaries are among the incentives being offered, and Feo was direct about what he believes players will gain beyond the financial package. "They will treat you like a king," he said. "You won't get that reception back in Australia. You'll be valued and supported like you've never felt before. And the impact they will have on the community will be huge."
Feo also addressed security concerns that have been raised about Port Moresby, a city with a reputation for violent crime. He argued those concerns were largely overstated, attributing most serious violence to conflicts between rival tribal groups rather than threats to outsiders. At the same time, he acknowledged the government's responsibility to act. "We will do anything and everything in our means to make sure they are safe," he said, adding that plans were in place to revitalise the downtown area so players and residents alike could move more freely.
The diplomacy here is as layered as the football ambitions. The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has long regarded Papua New Guinea as a critical partner in Australia's Pacific engagement strategy, and the sports diplomacy framework around the Chiefs reflects a broader government view that soft power investment in PNG serves Australia's national interest. Critics of such programmes have questioned whether direct infrastructure investment delivers better outcomes than sports-linked packages, and it is a legitimate debate. The $600 million commitment is substantial, and the accountability mechanisms for how those funds translate into measurable improvements in PNG will deserve scrutiny as the 2028 deadline approaches.
For now, though, the immediate question is simpler: can the Chiefs be competitive from day one, and will the NRL give them the platform to announce themselves to the world? Feo left no doubt about what he expects. "We're open to anybody," he said of the coaching search, "but the best person for the job." That ambition, at least, is not in question.