Super League duo beam over flying Papua New Guinea flag following Dream Team inclusions
Rhyse Martin (left) and Nene Macdonald (right) have been expressing their delight at flying the Papua New Guinean flag in Super League after being named in the 2024 Dream Team
Prior to 2024, only four Papua New Guinea representatives had ever been selected in the Super League Dream Team. That tally is now up to six though thanks to Rhyse Martin and Nene Macdonald, who are both proud to be flying the PNG flag in the British game.
Named in this year’s edition of Super League’s best 13, the pair joined Adrian Lam, Marcus Bai, Lachlan Lam and Edwin Ipape on the six-strong list of Dream Team players to represent Papua New Guinea.
Up until last year, when Leigh Leopards duo Lachlan Lam and Ipape were chosen, that tally stood at just two.
But the Kumuls’ growth in the game is clear for all to see: with no fewer than nine internationals featuring across Super League in 2024.
‘We definitely won’t be the last players from PNG to get in the Dream Team – there are a lot of quality players’
Salford Red Devils centre Macdonald spoke to Love Rugby League at the official Dream Team launch event on Monday afternoon, detailing his pride in that PNG presence.
He said: “I’ve seen Liam Horne get Players’ Player of the Year at Castleford and it’s good to see those boys (PNG internationals in Super League) enjoying it.
“They really enjoy it over here, which is a big ask, because it’s a massive temperature change, especially for the PNG local boys.
“It’s good to see more and more PNG boys come over and more Aussies come over to just keep growing this game.
“Super League is a good game and it’s got a lot of rich history to it, so hopefully we can keep growing it.”
Rhyse Martin credits PNG Hunters for Kumuls growth
Leeds Rhinos forward Martin isn’t involved in the play-offs, but has enjoyed a phenomenal year from an individual perspective: and he will depart AMT Headingley ahead of 2025 to make the switch across Super League to Hull KR.
The back-rower reinforced the same message as fellow countryman Macdonald about the Kumuls’ ever-growing presence in Super League, saying: “I always love representing PNG.
“It comes from my father’s side, and there are a lot of quality players that are from PNG.
“It was nice to be in it (the Dream Team) with Nene, I’m very proud. I think we definitely won’t be the last players from PNG to get in it, there’s a lot more coming through, it’s a special time for us and something to be proud of.
“It’s massive (to have a growing PNG presence). We were talking about it towards the end of the Pacific Championships last year because there were a few boys getting Super League deals while we were in camp.
“Ever since I started playing for PNG, there’s been more and more of the boys that are getting out and playing for other teams and getting that opportunity.
“I think it all starts back with the PNG Hunters, the Queensland Cup team. They get the best players in the country, play Q Cup and then all of them are good enough to go on and get contracts elsewhere.
“Ever since they brought that Q Cup team in, we’ve all seen the players branching out and moving on to other clubs, it’s been great.”
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‘Growing up, I didn’t even worry about the NRL or anything, all I wanted to do was play for the Kumuls’
Once the Super League play-offs have been wrapped up, attention for plenty of stars will turn to autumn internationals and pulling their country’s shirt on once more.
PNG will again enter the Pacific Championships having won the first-ever Pacific Bowl last year. This time around, they’ll enter the same competition, but there is a possible promotion up to the Pacific Cup in 2025 to play for.
CHAMPS 🏆 🇵🇬 #PacificChampionships pic.twitter.com/AUWRbkugvj
— NRL (@NRL) November 5, 2023
18-time Kumuls international Macdonald said: “The Pacific Championships are coming up, they’re around the corner. We go to Fiji in round one so that’s exciting – a free trip to Fiji! I’m excited, playing for your country is an exciting time.
“It’s massive (playing for PNG). I think it’s ingrained from us from when we’re young, we see the Kumuls when we’re young and that’s all I wanted to do.
“Growing up, I didn’t even worry about the NRL or anything, all I wanted to do was play for the Kumuls.
“I was fairly lucky that I got to debut when I was 18 and play for my country, and I’ve been doing it for the past decade now, so hopefully I can keep playing well and hold onto that jersey for as long as I can for the future.”
Meanwhile, 17-time PNG international Martin – who will be involved in the Prime Minister’s XIII game against Australia prior to the Pacific Championships – added: “I’m looking forward to it.
“We’ve got a new coach in Jason Demetriou, so I’m looking forward to working with him and I think we’re going to have another strong Pacific Championships.
“We’ve got a solid team, it just depends on when we get our boys that are here playing in the play-offs back.
“We’ll all get together for the Fiji Test which is on October 20, so we should have a full Test team by that date. It’s exciting for us on the international side of things.”
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