Kumuls star details PNG Chiefs excitement as NRL franchise tipped to transform nation
Jacob Alick-Wiencke in action for Papua New Guinea at the delayed 2021 Rugby League World Cup
Papua New Guinea international Jacob Alick-Wiencke believes the NRL’s new franchise PNG Chiefs will transform the nation.
Alick-Wiencke has represented the Kumuls on the international stage since June 2022, when he made his bow against Fiji, qualifying via his heritage with his late grandmother having been born in Daru.
Skip forward a little over three years, and the Brisbane native now has 12 Test caps on his CV having helped Jason Demetriou’s side into the quarter-finals of the delayed 2021 Rugby League World Cup as well as to back-to-back Pacific Bowl triumphs.
As well as hosting a handful of games at the next instalment of the World Cup later this year, the nation of PNG can now look forward to its first-ever club representation in the NRL.
Come the start of the 2028 campaign, PNG Chiefs will enter the premier competition Down Under and be backed by an inherently passionate ten million plus population.
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Kumuls star details PNG Chiefs excitement as NRL franchise tipped to transform nation
Having seen the impact the growth of the Kumuls national team has had on the country first-hand over the last few years, Alick-Wiencke can’t wait for the day the Chiefs enter the NRL.
He will have to watch from afar for at least the first year having agreed a three-year deal to join Super League outfit Leigh Leopards ahead of 2026, running until the end of the 2028 season.
But that distance won’t temper his belief in a genuine transformation over in PNG, as he explained to LoveRugbyLeague during the Leopards‘ pre-season media day.
Alick-Wiencke explained: “The Chiefs’ (NRL) entry gives kids in PNG something to aspire to instead of going out on to the streets doing crime or doing things that they probably shouldn’t be doing.
“I think it’s something to look forward to, for sure.
“They’re obviously going to have a male team, but I assume they’re going to try and get into the female space as well and cover both sides of things.
“The whole nation stops to watch the Kumuls, so I think it’ll be the same when the new NRL team comes in.
“I can’t wait to see how they get on, and to see the impact the club can have on the country.”
