Papua New Guinea National Rugby League
Encyclopedia
The Papua New Guinea National Rugby League Competition (PNGNRL) or the Digicel Cup is a semi-professional rugby league
competition held annually in Papua New Guinea
. Formerly known as the SP Inter-City Cup and later the Bemobile Cup as it changed its name after new sponsorship and new teams entered the competition.
format, with the top 4 clubs at the end of the rounds entering play-offs, culminating in a Grand Final held in the capital city Port Moresby.
The 2005 season had 8 teams in total from all around Papua New Guinea. In 2006 one team got relugated (Monier Broncos) to make way for two new teams, Central Raiders and Pagini Warriors. The inaugural winner of the competition was the Agmark Gurias who beat the Brian Bell
Bulldogs in Port Moresby. In the short history of the tournament the competition has shown high levels of rugby league play in Papua New Guinea.
In 2009 local mobile telecommunication Company, Bemobile, took over from SP Brewery as the competitions major sponsor. Currently 9 teams compete in the competition.
Other teams to have been relegated are South Port Moresby Broncos (2005) and Simbu Angrass (2005).
Rugby league
Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...
competition held annually in Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea , officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is a country in Oceania, occupying the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and numerous offshore islands...
. Formerly known as the SP Inter-City Cup and later the Bemobile Cup as it changed its name after new sponsorship and new teams entered the competition.
History
Previous to 2005 the PNG NRL was called the SP Inter-City Cup. The national competition was known as the SP Cup, and has been held since 1990. No competition was held in 2004 due to financial problems and province violence in certain provinces. But the competition returned for 2005 season as the new-look PNGNRL. Much like the new PNGNRL format the old SP Inter-City Cup had teams competing in a format much like the Australian National Rugby LeagueNational Rugby League
The National Rugby League is the top league of professional rugby league football clubs in Australasia. The NRL's main competition, called the Telstra Premiership , is contested by sixteen teams, fifteen of which are based in Australia with one based in New Zealand...
format, with the top 4 clubs at the end of the rounds entering play-offs, culminating in a Grand Final held in the capital city Port Moresby.
The 2005 season had 8 teams in total from all around Papua New Guinea. In 2006 one team got relugated (Monier Broncos) to make way for two new teams, Central Raiders and Pagini Warriors. The inaugural winner of the competition was the Agmark Gurias who beat the Brian Bell
Brian Bell (businessman)
Sir Brian Bell CSM, KBE, C.St.J. was an Australian-born businessman who established a successful business empire in Papua New Guinea.-Early life:...
Bulldogs in Port Moresby. In the short history of the tournament the competition has shown high levels of rugby league play in Papua New Guinea.
In 2009 local mobile telecommunication Company, Bemobile, took over from SP Brewery as the competitions major sponsor. Currently 9 teams compete in the competition.
Teams
| Championship | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | Stadium | City/Area | ||
| Rabaul 'Agmark' Gurias | Kalabond Field, | Kokopo Kokopo Kokopo is the capital of East New Britain in Papua New Guinea. The capital was moved from Rabaul in 1994 when the volcanoes Tavurvur and Vulcan erupted. As a result, the population of the town increased more than sixfold from 3,150 in 1990 to 20,262 in 2000.... , East New Britain Province |
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| Mendi Muruks | Mendi Mendi Mendi, Papua New Guinea, is the provincial capital of the Southern Highlands Province.... , Southern Highlands Province |
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| Lae Snax Tigers | Lae Lae Lae, the capital of Morobe Province, is the second-largest city in Papua New Guinea. It is located at the start of the Highlands Highway which is the main land transport corridor from the Highlands region to the coast... , Morobe Province Morobe Province Morobe Province is a province on the northern coast of Papua New Guinea. The provincial capital, and largest city, is Lae. The province covers 34,500 km², including 719 km² maritime area, with a population of 539,725... |
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| Toyota Enga Mioks | Johnson Siki Aipus Oval | Wabag Wabag Wabag is the capital of Enga Province, Papua New Guinea. It is the least populous provincial capital in the country. It is on the Lai River; the Highlands Highway passes through the town, between Mount Hagen and Porgera... , Enga Province Enga Province Enga refers to both an ethnic group located in the highlands of Papua New Guinea and the province in which they are the majority ethnic group.-Physical geography:... |
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| WGS Mt. Hagen Eagles | Mt. Hagen Show Ground | Mount Hagen Mount Hagen Mount Hagen is third largest city in Papua New Guinea. It is the capital of the Western Highlands Province and is located in the large fertile Wahgi Valley in central mainland Papua New Guinea, at an elevation of .... , Western Highlands Province |
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| Goroka Lahanis | National Sports Institute | Goroka Goroka Goroka is the capital of the Eastern Highlands Province of Papua New Guinea. It is a town of approximately 19,000 people , 1600m above sea level. It has an airport and is on the "Highlands Highway", about 285 km from Lae in Morobe province and 90 km from the nearby town of Kainantu also... , Eastern Highlands Province |
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| Hela Wigmen | Lloyd Robson Oval Lloyd Robson Oval Lloyd Robson Oval is a sporting ground in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea. It hosted 3 games for the 1989 - 1992 Rugby League World Cup. It has been the home ground for the Papua New Guinea national rugby league team since 1982. It has a total capacity of just over 10,000 people.Llyod Robson Oval... |
Port Moresby Port Moresby Port Moresby , or Pot Mosbi in Tok Pisin, is the capital and largest city of Papua New Guinea . It is located on the shores of the Gulf of Papua, on the southeastern coast of the island of New Guinea, which made it a prime objective for conquest by the Imperial Japanese forces during 1942–43... |
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| Port Moresby 'Stop N Shop' Vipers | Port Moresby Port Moresby Port Moresby , or Pot Mosbi in Tok Pisin, is the capital and largest city of Papua New Guinea . It is located on the shores of the Gulf of Papua, on the southeastern coast of the island of New Guinea, which made it a prime objective for conquest by the Imperial Japanese forces during 1942–43... |
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| Kongo Coffee Simbu Warriors | Kundiawa Rugby League Oval, | Kundiawa Kundiawa Kundiawa is the capital of Simbu Province, Papua New Guinea, with a population of 8,147 . It lies along the Highlands Highway approximately halfway between Goroka and Mount Hagen, respectively the capitals of the Eastern Highlands and Western Highlands provinces.It is a relatively small town,... , Simbu Province Simbu Province Simbu, also known as Chimbu, is a Highlands Region province in Papua New Guinea. The province has an area of 6,100 km² and a population of 259,703 . The capital of the province is Kundiawa... |
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| Gulf Isapea | Lloyd Robson Oval Lloyd Robson Oval Lloyd Robson Oval is a sporting ground in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea. It hosted 3 games for the 1989 - 1992 Rugby League World Cup. It has been the home ground for the Papua New Guinea national rugby league team since 1982. It has a total capacity of just over 10,000 people.Llyod Robson Oval... |
Port Moresby Port Moresby Port Moresby , or Pot Mosbi in Tok Pisin, is the capital and largest city of Papua New Guinea . It is located on the shores of the Gulf of Papua, on the southeastern coast of the island of New Guinea, which made it a prime objective for conquest by the Imperial Japanese forces during 1942–43... |
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Former Clubs
- Port Moresby Vipers exited in 1999
- Simbu Angrass exited in 1999
- Monier Broncos exited in 2004
Other teams to have been relegated are South Port Moresby Broncos (2005) and Simbu Angrass (2005).
History of Premiers
| Year | Premiers | Runners Up | Score | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | Port Moresby Vipers | MT Hagen | 22-14 | 9,230 |
| 1991 | Port Moresby Vipers | MT Hagen Eagles | 18-16 | 8,900 |
| 1992 | Port Moresby Vipers | MT Hagen Eagles | 36-0 | 12,112 |
| 1993 | Goroka Lahinis | Port Moresby Vipers | 22-10 | 8,291 |
| 1994 | Port Moresby Vipers | Goroka Lahinis | 36-30 | 8,011 |
| 1995 | Lae Bombers Lae Bombers The LBC Bombers are a rugby league that represent the Morobe Province in the semi-professional rugby league tournament- PNG NRL. They have been involved in the tournament since its inception in 1990... |
Mendi Muruks | 28-18 | 10,232 |
| 1996 | Mendi Muruks | Kuniawa Warrior | 11-10 | 12,312 |
| 1997 | MT Hagen Eagles | Lae Bombers Lae Bombers The LBC Bombers are a rugby league that represent the Morobe Province in the semi-professional rugby league tournament- PNG NRL. They have been involved in the tournament since its inception in 1990... |
19-16 | 10,271 |
| 1998 | MT Hagen Eagles | Mendi Muruks | 14-6 | 9,278 |
| 1999 | Goroka Lahinis | Rabaul Gurias | 18-16 | 10,812 |
| 2000 | Enga Mioks Enga Mioks Enga Mioks are a rugby league team based in Enga Province, Papua New Guinea. The team competed in the SP Inter-city Cup and now the re-generated PNGNRL competition. They play at Johnson Siki Aipus Oval, Wabag located at 3km outside the provincial capital Wabag.- History :The team qualified for the... |
Rabaul Gurias | 36-20 | 14,123 |
| 2001 | Rabaul Gurias | Goroka Lahinis | 18-2 | 10,912 |
| 2002 | Lae Bombers Lae Bombers The LBC Bombers are a rugby league that represent the Morobe Province in the semi-professional rugby league tournament- PNG NRL. They have been involved in the tournament since its inception in 1990... |
Rabaul Gurias | 14-12 | 12,321 |
| 2003 | Rabaul Guirias | Lae Bombers Lae Bombers The LBC Bombers are a rugby league that represent the Morobe Province in the semi-professional rugby league tournament- PNG NRL. They have been involved in the tournament since its inception in 1990... |
17-16 | 12,381 |
| 2004* | Mendi Menjals | Popondetta Butterflies | 22-0 | 12,322 |
| 2005 | Rabaul Gurias | Port Moresby Bulldogs | 23-14 | 10,249 |
| 2006 | Mendi Muruks | Goroka Lahanis | 19-14 | 12,021 |
| 2007 | Mendi Muruks | Rabaul Gurias | 42-6 | 11,000+ |
| 2008 | Mendi Muruks | Mt Hagen Eagles | 14-4 | 12,000+ |
| 2009 | Rabaul Gurias | Enga Mioks | 24-14 | 15,000+ |
| 2010 | Goroka Lahanis | Mendi Muruks | 21-10 | 20,000+ |
- Competition not held that year
See also
- Papua New Guinea national rugby league teamPapua New Guinea national rugby league teamThe Papua New Guinea national rugby league team represents Papua New Guinea internationally in the sport of rugby league football.In Papua New Guinea, Rugby league is highly popular and is regarded as the country’s national sport. The national side are known as the Kumuls...
- Rugby league in Papua New GuineaRugby league in Papua New GuineaRugby league is the most popular team sport in Papua New Guinea, and is indeed regarded as the national sport. The people have a reputation for being the most passionate supporters of the game in the world....
Sources
- http://www.lbcbombers.com
- http://www.thenational.com.pg
- PNGRFL Annual General Report