Smith Upbeat of PNG NRL Franchise

The most-capped National Rugby League (NRL) player of all-time, Cameron Smith was one of the invited guests who graced the ‘Signing Ceremony’ between the Papua New Guinea and Australian Governments on Wednesday night (February 19th, 2025) at the Sir Hubert Murray Stadium in Port Moresby, symbolizing PNG’s entry into the NRL competition by 2028. 

Smith has had a glittering rugby league career in the NRL spanning 19 seasons, recording 430 games under his belt, winning 3 premierships with the Melbourne Storm, playing for the Queensland Maroons on 42 occasions, and representing the Australian Kangaroos 56 times. He had a stacked NRL resume and retired on a high note in 2021. 

The Queenslander was invited by the new PNG NRL franchise, CEO Andrew Hill to witness the official signing deal and have discussions with the board of the PNG franchise, as well as give pep talks to the aspiring rugby league players who are currently training in the six established academies across the country.

Smith touched a bit about his coaching career and said he was honored to visit PNG and be part of the historic celebration between PNG and Australia’s NRL signing deal, where the two countries have had a long-standing friendship not just in rugby league but people-to-people relationships. 

“It was special to have the opportunity to coach at the junior level last year for the first time and seeing young people aspiring to be elite rugby league players, to grow, learn and mature is rewarding as a coach,” he expressed.  

“To be here tonight (Wednesday, February 19th) to see so many young boys and girls from PNG to do the same thing with their rugby league careers is fantastic. To be on such a special occasion for rugby league and for the country of PNG, with the official signing of being an expansion team of the NRL, is a wonderful night to be part of. 

“I had a phone call with Andrew (CEO Hill) about a week ago and asked about the possibility of being here tonight and I jumped at the opportunity because I know how passionate the people of PNG are about rugby league.

“So, to have the opportunity to come up here and sit down briefly with Andrew and other people involved at the executive level, it’s rewarding but we haven’t gotten into any sort of in-depth conversation as yet. I really enjoyed the occasion tonight.”  

The Logan native highlighted that he was lucky to play alongside some of the PNG boys like Marcus Bai and Justin Olam, sharing his experience and the relationships he had built with them.

“I was very fortunate to play with some of the wonderful PNG players like Marcus Bai and Justin Olam, and I’ve watched Xavier Coates as an 8-year-old who grew into an NRL player, State of Origin representative, and Test player. I’ve spoken with them regularly and they tell me about what rugby league means to the people of PNG,” Smith said.

Smith further emphasized the junior development pathway and encouraged the budding rugby league prospects to stay grounded and work hard while drawing comparisons with the Dolphins, who were doubted when they entered the NRL competition in 2023.   

“Three years might seem a long time for the young boys and girls, but time will pass really quickly. So, if Andrew and his team set up a junior pathway program here to develop these young people and have some local kids playing for the PNG franchise come 2028,” he stated. 

“My only advice to them right now is if they are given an opportunity to be a part of those development teams, make the most of it. Don’t squander it. Work hard, be diligent, and show commitment when you’re training and you’ll be rewarded for it. 

“I think that PNG will be up there in 2028, this is what it’s all about. You don’t just join a competition to make up the numbers. You want to be competitive to join a competition like the NRL.

“If you look in the last couple of years with the franchise like the Dolphins, a lot of people spoke about the challenges they face in putting a squad together, but I think they proved a lot of people wrong - nearly everyone wrong about the way they were competing in the NRL and I can’t see why the PNG franchise can be the same.”

When asked if he could consider joining the PNG franchise leading up to 2028, Smith explained that he was open to it and would weigh out his options.

“That’s a conversation I’ll have with Andrew and other people who are involved in the PNG franchise,” the NRL great revealed.  

“It will obviously have to fit in with my work commitments with the commentary, but the one thing that I’ve really enjoyed after my playing career is giving back to rugby league - whether it be at the development level or junior level - just helping out with mentoring aspiring rugby league players, I get a lot of joy doing that. 

“If there was an opportunity, there’s no doubt that I would certainly have discussions about it.”