Chiefs or Pythons? NRL’s 19th team name revealed by PNG prime minister James Marape

Papua New Guinea’s new team to enter the NRL in 2028 will be known as the Chiefs, the country’s prime minister, James Marape, has announced.

The club’s name was unveiled at Santos National Football Stadium before kick-off in the men’s annual match between the Australian Prime Minister’s XIII and their Pacific neighbour on Sunday.

It was also revealed the selection of the Chiefs name came after a public competition attracting more than 20,000 submissions, with the Pythons also short-listed.

The final call was a joint decision by the PNG and Australian governments, with the Australian Rugby League Commission and the team’s board signing off on it on Sunday morning.

Marape said the name was a fitting choice for the club, whose board includes former Melbourne Storm and PNG international Marcus Bai.

“Everyone felt that Chiefs was more appropriate on the basis that we are a sovereign nation of many tribes; over 850 languages and 1,000 tribes and before there was a prime minister, and a king or queen in England, the sovereign head within the tribe was the Chief,” Marape said.

“Our forefathers and mothers were chiefs who kept order, peace, and balance among our tribes. As we play on the world stage, the PNG Chiefs will carry that same spirit – the strength of unity in diversity.”

The Australian women’s Prime Minister’s XIII outclassed the PNG Orchids 50-0 before the men’s match on Sunday.

Marape said a future NRLW side would also be called the Chiefs.

“In our country, about 30% are matrilineal, so it fits in well when girls run on as Chiefs because there is a traditional context in our history,” he said.

“In East New Britain, Milne Bay, Bougainville and New Ireland, women are also chiefs. They hold land rights, they make the final decisions.”