Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will faucet into Papua New Guinea’s ardour for the NRL throughout his go to to PNG to strengthen its relationship with Australia.
Mr Albanese will use his historic speech to PNG’s parliament on Thursday to restate his help for a Pacific Islander workforce to compete within the NRL, saying Australia and PNG have a “shared passion for rugby league”.
“Today I affirm my view that I want to see a PNG-based, Pacific Islander team compete in the National Rugby League competition,” he’s anticipated to say.
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“Sport is such a genuine and powerful way of building strong and lasting ties between our peoples, at a code and club and community and family level.
Mr Albanese told reporters in Australia on Wednesday he was “very keen” to see a PNG-based workforce take part within the NRL, revealing he had raised the proposal with the league’s directors.
He later instructed ABC Radio he would focus on the concept together with his PNG counterpart James Marape throughout his go to to the Pacific island nation.
“Of course, those links are so important — that we have those cultural links and our common interests,” Mr Albanese stated.
“And one of our common interests is, of course, our passion for rugby league.”
Mr Albanese first threw his help behind the concept of a Pasifika NRL workforce after assembly together with his PNG counterpart James Marape on the Pacific Islands Forum in Fiji in July final yr.
PNG has been represented within the Queensland Rugby League Cup for a few decade and the nation has been pushing to hitch Australia’s nationwide competitors as its 18th workforce.
It’s understood PNG would seemingly be part of forces with Tonga, Samoa, the Cook Islands and Fiji to type a Pasifika workforce.
There has additionally been an urge for food throughout the league for Perth or presumably one other New Zealand-based workforce to take out the 18th spot within the NRL.
Mr Albanese and Mr Marape met to observe their nations’ groups compete within the Prime Minister’s XIII rugby league clashes at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane final September.
The leaders additionally watched the State of Origin in Fiji final yr, which Mr Albanese will reference in his speech to PNG’s parliament on Thursday.
“When Prime Minister Marape and I watched the State of Origin together in Suva last year, he said there are only three days your country stops — Game 1, Game 2 and Game 3,” Mr Albanese will say.
“That’s something I think a lot of Australians can relate to.”
Source web site: www.foxsports.com.au
