NRL news 2025, Papua New Guinea Chiefs urged to sign local players, after November 1 spree, Edwin Ipape and Nixon Putt, Billy Slater and Michael Chammas comments

The NRL’s 19th team has made plenty of headlines with some high-profile signings, and we’re still more than 18 months away from seeing Papua New Guinea actually take the field.

Chiefs general manager Michael Chammas has also prepared a list of off-contract stars who he plans to start calling on November 1 in the hope of bringing them on board for season 2028.

And once that chaos dies down, Billy Slater wants the Chiefs to begin focusing on finding the best PNG-born talent to fill out the rest of the roster.

“I’d love to see them recruit some Papua New Guineans, maybe some players from the Hunters,” he said on Nine’s The Billy Slater Podcast, referencing Queensland Cup team PNG Hunters.

“With all these stars going up, you filter some of the local boys through that, I think you can develop some top line NRL players coming out of Papua New Guinea.

“I think that would create more of an attraction within the local communities. This is going to have an amazing impact on the people of Papua New Guinea.”

Luckily, Slater’s suggestion is already in motion.

Last month the Chiefs signed three PNG products to development contracts for 2028.

Morea Morea, Gairo Voro, and Finley Glare have all been playing in England for the London Broncos, and will move back to their homeland next year to begin life at the NRL’s newest club.

They will be living and training alongside some of rugby league’s most accomplished players.

Jarome Luai, Joey Manu, Brian To’o, Zac Lomax, Alex Johnston, Connor Watson, and Matty Lees have already been signed to the top squad. They boast 15 NRL premierships between them as well as a glut of representative experience. Johnston is Australian rugby league’s greatest ever try scorer.

More big-name stars are tipped to join them in the coming months. The likes of Hudson Young, Nathan Cleary, and Cameron Munster have been linked to the Chiefs.

But Chammas says by 2038 the club wants more than half its senior squad filled by PNG-born players.

“There are two parts to what we’re doing. The first part is public facing, which is making sure we’ve got a competitive team that PNG can be proud of in year one, and we’re putting the pieces together to do that,” Chammas told nine.com.au.

“But the second part, and the most important part, is making sure we develop a pathways system to make sure in 10 years’ time this team is predominantly Papua New Guineans.

“A lot of work is being done behind the scenes by PNG Rugby League, there are academies all across the country, and there’s some good young players we have added to our development squad.

“That’s definitely important to us, to make sure we’re focusing on that side of it, but we’re not naive to the fact that in the short term we need to surround them with good players, good people, so they can understand what it actually takes to make it in the NRL. What better education than to be a sponge around those guys.

“There will be more (PNG players), there will be a lot more in our squad and in our development system coming through. It’s just making sure that we’re not handing jerseys away, they’ve got to earn the right.”

Aside from the three London Broncos recruits, there are other PNG players already making a name for themselves at a professional level.

Leigh Leopards hooker Edwin Ipape and QCup backrower Nixon Putt were floated as potential Chiefs targets on The Billy Slater Podcast.

There is no official affiliation, at least yet, but Chammas says his club will be working with the Hunters next year to ensure players are being developed to potentially play in the NRL.

Slater says the development of players in PNG will one day benefit the rest of the NRL, especially with the competition likely growing to 20 teams.

“The development of these players that are going to be exposed to the professional level, and elite NRL players, that’s where you get a lot of your learnings from, from the guys that are a tier above you,” Slater said.

“We’ll start seeing guys from Papua New Guinea filter through the Chiefs and maybe even go into the NRL with other teams.”