In Papua New Guinea (PNG), Australian rules football (typically referred to as "rules", "rules football", "footy", or less commonly "Aussie rules", "AFL rules", "AFL", or "football") is a developing team sport which was initially introduced by Australian servicemen during World War II. The governing body for the sport is the PNG Rules Football Council, with the development body being AFL PNG. The junior development version is known locally as Niukick. Regionally, AFL PNG is affiliated with AFL South Pacific with an Australian development pathway through AFL Queensland.
It is home to the longest running league outside Australia, the Port Moresby Australian Rules Football League (or POM AFL), founded in 1955. Prior to independence from Australia the sport boomed in the 1960s and 70s, Rules was a major spectator and participation sport and the standard of representatives sides from PNG reached a level close to that of the semi-professional leagues in Australia. PNG proved to be highly competitive against VFL clubs and internationally against Australia, Indigenous Australia and Nauru. The national team's first full international match against Nauru attracted 10,000 to Sir Hubert Murray Stadium in Port Moresby which remains the world record for an international representative match in the sport. This golden age ended abruptly in 1981 after a failed restructuring of football operations by Australian interests, poor junior performance in the Teal Cup and the withdrawal of funding causing a total collapse of the sport. This resulted in other codes of football particularly Rugby League and soccer rapidly outgrowing it. Nevertheless, Rules has seen a major revival since the 1990s.
The national team is the most decorated in international Australian Football, having won more International titles (3 - 2008, 2014, 2017) than any other nation, in addition, it has won silver medals in 2002, 2005, 2011 and three gold at the Arafura Games. The PNG Muruks, the country's only AFL Asia affiliated club, winning four straight Asian Australian Football Championships between 2019 and 2024.AFL Muruks win fourth Asian title 2 September 2024 The senior men's team also took out the inaugural AFL Pacific Cup in 2024.
Players of Papua New Guinean heritage have played professionally in the Australian Football League, the most famous of which is "king" Mal Michael who holds the AFL games and goals record for a Papuan born player. More recently, a pathway from AFL PNG to the AFL, mainly through AFL Queensland has been established providing a source of talent for clubs in Australia. The pathway resulted in Hewago Oea, in 2022, becoming the first Papuan to debut in the AFL who learned to play the game locally.
In the media, the sport is covered by The National and Papua New Guinea Post-Courier and EMTV.
History
Beginnings
There was awareness of the sport early in the 20th Century, with mentions of it in the media dating back to the 1920s, including reports on the QAFL, NSWAFL, NTFL and VFL from the 1940s however it was not played locally.
In May 1943, serving in the Territory of Papua during the New Guinea campaign began an informal league which were among the earliest recorded matches in Papua New Guinea. The league consisted of teams including Konedobu, Wirraways, Razorback, Strafers, Wallabies, Pioneers, Bower Birds, Ack-Redians, John's Gully. On 29 April 1943, an RAAF team held a secret training session. Its first match was held that weekend on the 1st May. Another higher profile match was held on the 5 May 1943 featuring several notable Australian players. On Saturday 22 May 1943, RAAF Wirraways 13-10 defeated Razorback 9–8. On the 30 May 1943, John's Gully R.A.A.F. Australian Rules football team against a Waigani Road team at the Gully Oval, the R.A.A.F. Wirraway Australian Rules football team also called for opponents. Other teams included Regiment and Con. Depot.
In the Territory of New Guinea, one of the earliest recorded matches was held in the capital Lae and the inland town of Nagada in 1944 by Australian school teachers and defence force personnel.29/46th infantry battalion and 37/52nd infantry battalion played at Deslandes sports oval in front of a sizeable crowd of natives. Source 074980 Australian War Memorial
In November 1945, a match was played between Victoria and "The Rest" at Torokina, Bougainville.Australian War Memorial 099009
A competition was played in Rabaul, New Britain in 1946 between servicemen, including the 29/46th infantry battalion, who played several matches against sides from New Guinea and New Britain.Australian War Memorial 099811 The HMAS Arunta Australian rules football team also played matches on Rabaul against Flotilla.
The Port Moresby Australian Rules Football League began in Port Moresby in 1955, quickly becoming the most prominent competition in Papua.
In 1956, Papua's first representative side was assembled, defeating regional representative sides from both Cairns and Innisfail in Far North Queensland.
1960s: Rules Booms The game was seldom played until regular matches were played in Papua between Australians at Boroko Rugby League Oval, Port Moresby in 1961.>New Guinea National Football League Matches were also played in Lae. Rules was a relatively new sport in Papua, where rugby league had a significant head start. However, there were numerous Victorians, including many from the Warrnambool district working in Moresby at the time, enough to kickstart the 8 team competition. The Standard. MARCH 3 2014
One of the first schools to take up the game was Sogeri Secondary College in the Central Province which was founded by the Australian Defence Force. The school team was known as the Magpies and wore the colours of the Collingwood Football Club In 1963 it would become the first side composed primarily of Papuans to win a Port Moresby senior premiership and would go on to be the country's strongest school in the sport, producing many great footballers for the senior competition. In the same year, the sport was spreading in the Western Highlands Province and East Sepik Province with Wewak hosting its first representative match against Mount Hagen.
The Cleland Medal was first awarded to the league's player. The 1964 winner was local grown player Herea Amini, of Sogeri College, who was rewarded with a flight to Melbourne to play for 2 weeks with the VFL's Demons. PNG National December 15, 2015 Amini returned from Melbourne to found the Koboni Football Club, adopting the colours and moniker of the Melbourne Football Club in 1965, and Koboni Demons remain Papua New Guinea's longest running club.
There was an annual football carnival between Papua, New Guinea and the New Guinea Islands. In 1967 it was held in Rabaul and in 1968 it was hosted by Lae.
In 1969 Papua New Guinea sent its first touring side to compete against the Mount Isa league in Queensland for a "North of Australia Championship", played three games and won two of them.
In 1969 on 8 October a touring St Kilda football team from the Victorian Football League (VFL) coached by Allan Jeans"Injuries force Rules sides to make changes" Pg.32 Post Courier, 8 Oct 1969 visited Port Moresby defeated a composite national PNG team at the South Pacific Oval 9-17-61 to 1-6-12"Papua down to St.Kilda but not disgraced" Page 32 Post-Courier, 9 Oct 1969 It was the first time the new Hubert Murray Stadium was used for Australian Rules, and was played under lights in front of a large crowd.
VFL great Ted Whitten, excited about the growth of the game in the highlands visited Madang; Mount Hagen; Goroka; Wewak, and Kieta in November of that year, showing locals video footage from the Richmond vs Carlton VFL Grand Final."Ted on Footy Tour" Pg.23 Post-Courier, Tue 4 Nov 1969 A combined Gold Coast side toured PNG winning by a point.PNG Post-Courier Fri 7 Oct 1977 Page 59
Extensive growth was seen in 1970 with a new 4 team league in New Ireland established.Kavieng to get Aussie Rules? PNG Post Courier. 6 Apr 1970 Page 20 In Morobe and the Eastern highlands in 1971 the game was booming, with the Lae league expanding to 13 teams"13 TEAMS IN LAE RULES" Pg.54 Post-Courier. Fri 2 Apr 1971 and the Goroka league expanding in 1971 to 8 clubs."Goroka Rules" Pg. 50 Post-Courier Fri 5 Mar 1971
In 1972, organised by Brian Fry, schoolboy competition began, helping boost junior player numbers.BRIAN'S DONE A GOOD DEAL IN AUSTRALIAN RULES 12 Sep 1975 Page 49
By 1973, Bougainville had an 8 team league up and running including Essential Services, Concentrator, Mining, Clerks, CFC, Apprentices, PDF, Hitech.
1970s: International success With the independence of Papua New Guinea, the opportunity presented itself for the first fully-fledged international matches in the sport. In 1973, an Indigenous Australian side selected from an Australian six-state tournament toured Papua New Guinea, led by Roger Rigney, an Indigenous player from South Australian National Football League (SANFL) club Sturt. The following year the return tour saw the PNG side captain coached by Vili Maha defeat the Indigenous Australian side at Ainslie Oval in Canberra.pg.10 The Canberra TimesMon 7 Oct 1974 Sogeri Secondary's team travelled to Melbourne and handed its most prestigious football school, Scotch College, a massive defeat.
VFL club South Melbourne, looking for new talent pools, expressed an interest in declaring PNG a recruitment zone. In 1973 outstanding Koboni players Vili Maha and Gimana Guma were flown to Australia to be trialled with the club, playing reserves gamesTwo players train with S. Melbourne Fri 23 Feb 1973 PNG Post-Courier Page 47 however they did not break into the senior side. The following year Maha and Guma's Koboni club were brought to Australia and play against the South Melbourne Football Club reserves which they defeated soundly 14-4-104 to South Melbourne's 6-14-50.Papua New Guinea Post-Courier Fri 5 Apr 1974
In 1975 Port Moresby B-side defeated the visiting Royal Australian Navy team in front of a crowd of 1,000 spectators."Australia Beaten at Own Game" Papua New Guinea Post-Courier, Thu 18 Sep 1975
In October 1976, North Melbourne (VFL) toured and played against PNG at Sir Hubert Murray Stadium in front of a crowd of 8,000 spectatorsPapua New Guinea Post-Courier 17 Sep 1976 Page 26NORTH TOO GOOD BUT PNG IMPRESS. Papua New Guinea Post-Courier 11 Oct 1976 Page 20 NORTH TOO GOOD BUT PNG IMPRESS coached by Ron Barassi, North Melbourne won 18-12-120 to 11-10-76. In November 1976, PNG's junior side toured Victoria and played a game against VFL club Geelong, pushing the local side, coached by Kevin Sheehan, who won by just 4 points.PNG PLAYERS TO TRAIN IN MELBOURNE. PNG Post Courier. Page 59 Fri 3 Mar 1978Sheehan predicts big future Fri 10 Nov 1978 Page 64
The first ever national side was named in 1976.PNG rules side chosen. PNG Post Courier. 15 Jun 1977 Page 28 and its first full international was against Nauru in Port Moresby in front of a crowd of over 10,000 at Sir Hubert Murray Stadium.It's PNG by 129 points. PNG Post Courier. 21 Sep 1976 Page 24
In 1977 based on the competitiveness against top VFL sides the governing body, the NFL put forward a proposal for a Papua New Guinea team to enter its knockout NFL Night Series tournament.Invited to Australian knockout? Post Courier 8 Mar 1977 Page 32 At the time there were several leagues across the country, including Port Moresby, Goroka, Lae, Madang, Rabaul and Wewak.
1977 saw the first-ever international matches involving Australia at under 17 level between the Victoria Under 17 team (the reigning Australian Champions) and Papua New Guinea.
In August 1977 Victoria's best U17 side 10.17(76) defeated PNG 5.11(41) at Hubert Murray Stadium in front of a crowd of 4,000 spectators. In the reciprocal 1978 tour Papua New Guinea came within two goals of Australia at Football Park in Adelaide.