London Broncos boss Jason Demetriou has confirmed his interest in taking charge of the Papua New Guinea NRL team.
The PNG Chiefs will become the NRL’s 19th team with the club expected to enter the competition in 2028, a year after Perth Bears, and it won’t be too long until they begin recruiting key personnel. A head coach will be on of the first roles to tick off and Demetriou is thought to be one of the leading candidates at this stage for the position.
The Broncos boss remains in charge of the PNG national team, a position he has held since 2024 and he’ll take the nation into this autumn’s World Cup. What happens beyond that remains to be seen, especially with London pushing to become a Super League club for 2027.
However, the 50-year-old has outlined his interest in taking on the Chiefs gig and becoming the first man to lead a PNG team in the NRL.
“If there’s an opportunity to be involved with PNG, then I’d love that. Yes for sure,” Demetriou, who signed seven PNG players during his first off-season as London boss, told the Daily Telegraph.
“I’m passionate about PNG and about the people of PNG and, more importantly, what rugby league can do for that country.
“I coach the Kumuls, so they know where my interest is, as does the London club.
“I’m focusing on what I can control at the moment and that’s here with London, but when the right opportunity comes down the track, I will look at it.”
He added: “For sure, I miss the NRL.
“I love the grind every week and the challenge of going up against some of the best teams in the world and the best players in the world.”
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