Chammas: Why the PNG Chiefs will be like nothing seen before

PNG Chiefs General Manager Michael Chammas believes the atmosphere and culture will be like nothing else in rugby league, as the club nears closer to their formal introduction.

Chammas was appointed the general manager of the PNG Chiefs in February, and is now responsible for building the club in one of the boldest initiatives in rugby league history.

A child of a partnership between the Australian and Papua New Guinean government, and the NRL, the Chiefs have been shrouded in doubt and concern since the official announcement, with safety, facilities, and longevity the pre-eminent worries among fans and the media.

However, Chammas believes the introduction of the PNG Chiefs will bring in a new era of parochialism within the NRL, with the crowd vibe and nation guaranteed to get behind the side in scenes not seen before.

Papua New Guinea is the only country in the world where rugby league is the national sport, and the NRL has had glimpses at what the vibe at a Chiefs game will be in the annual Prime Minister’s XIII game between PNG and Australia, where the game consistently sells out and draws crowds of 15,000–18,000 fans.

And it was attending the 2025 edition of the PM XIII’s fixture that Chammas knew the Chiefs would be a special addition to the tapestry of rugby league.

“It's insane (the atmosphere),” Chammas told SEN 1170 Afternoons.

“I tell the story about this year when I went over there. It was a PM’s XIII game and I was in the corporate box with some of the NRL guys and some of the Chiefs guys at the time.

“I turned around for a moment and… there was this roar, right? It's like a team had just won the grand final.

“I turned around and I said, ‘what the hell was that’? And they said, ‘Cooper Bai just took a hit-up’.

“Obviously Marcus Bai over there, I can't tell you how much he's a hero in that country… but like all it was was Cooper Bai taking his first hit up.

“It was deafening, it was unbelievable. So, you can imagine when they have their own team.

“It'll be like nothing else in the NRL, that parochialism, it will be like a South American football crowd… and that's what excites me because as a kid growing up, that's what you're part of.

“I remember sitting on the hill at Kogarah, and you're throwing those newspaper things that you've ripped up all week and you're excited about it and you get behind it… that's the sort of fanaticism that we're going to have with PNG and it'll do wonders for rugby league.”

While the prospect of a regular Chiefs atmosphere is exciting, security concerns for players, staff, and their families remains the paramount barrier.

Papua New Guinea, while one country, is made up of over 1000 tribes, with the Chiefs’ home of Port Moresby considered one of the world's most dangerous cities.

However, Chammas believes that, while precautions must be taken to ensure the safety of fans, players, and staff, there are no prevalent safety concerns.

“I'm having these conversations with agents and players and I had it with my wife… you're not going to get what you want to see or… hear out of googling Papua New Guinea and Port Moresby,” Chammas said.

“Do we have to take precautions and make sure that that security is paramount to everything we do? Of course we do, but these players are gonna be absolute heroes over there.

“Their issue is not gonna be safety… they're going to be looked after everywhere they go, we're going to have drivers taking them everywhere.

“It's not what people are selling it, and that's my job in this period now when I talk to players, and even just coming here today, is to change the narrative around Papua New Guinea because the perception's not reality.

“Am I saying that there are no issues whatsoever, no, but what I'm saying to you is there are beautiful things to see over there.

“Like any country, there are issues around security, but we are making sure with the Chiefs, the NRL, the government, that these players, these families, these kids, they're gonna have the time of their life.

“I'm taking my three kids over, my wife's pregnant with our fourth… this is an adventure of a lifetime for our kids.

“It's a really humbling experience to go over there and experience what it's like living there.

“I spoke to a lot of Penrith and other players who lived at the Sunshine Coast during the COVID bubble in Queensland, and they still say it's the best time of their lives.

‘Their kids absolutely loved it… we've got great international schools there, but also we might be in a position where we offer schooling within the resort, and that's appealing to a lot of players.

“It's our job to turn that into a reality over the next two years so that when they rock up November 1 next year, they're happy.”

The PNG Chiefs will enter the competition in 2028 and are able to sign players from November 1 this year.