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Quote of the day

“It was the view of the Board and CEO that the progress of our NRL team has stalled. Our goal is to win premierships, and it is time for the Club to go in a new direction.”
A statement from the Parramatta Eels yesterday after they sacked coach Brad Arthur. The club confirmed Trent Barrett will lead the team as Interim Head Coach for the rest of the 2024 season.

Stat of the day

4
The number of teams left in the NBA after the conclusion of the Conference Semifinals. The Minnesota Timberwolves will face the Dallas Mavericks in the Western Conference Finals, while the Boston Celtics will face the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference Finals.

Random fact of the day

There are 25 buttons on a Mercedes Formula 1 steering wheel.

I’ve got 1 minute

Matildas captain and Chelsea star Sam Kerr has been officially ruled out of the Paris Olympic Games.

Kerr ruptured her anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in January at a training camp in Morocco. The knee injury forced her to miss the remainder of the Women’s Super League season and the Matildas’ Olympic qualifiers.

Football Australia has now formally ruled Kerr out of playing for the Matildas at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games this July/August.

The details

The Matildas qualified for the Olympics after a 10-0 win over Uzbekistan in February.

Kerr had not been expected to join the Olympic squad, but a statement from Football Australia on Tuesday confirmed she would “remain on the sidelines”.

The sport’s governing body also ruled out injured Matildas attacker Amy Sayer, who has also sustained an ACL injury.

Olympic hopes

The Matildas will join 11 other countries in the Olympic women’s football tournament in Paris this July-August.

They will have a chance to become the first Aussie squad to win an Olympic medal.

The team narrowly missed out on bronze in Tokyo three years ago, where they lost 4-3 to the USA.

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Papua New Guinea (PNG) is a step closer to joining the NRL as discussions continue between the league and the Federal Government.

It comes after official talks on expanding the NRL to include a PNG team began last year.

If a deal is reached, PNG would join the New Zealand Warriors as the NRL’s second overseas team.

PNG

Papua New Guinea is one of Australia’s closest neighbours.

The national sport of PNG is rugby league. Its national team is the Kumuls, which means birds-of-paradise in one of PNG’s national languages, Tok Pisin.

The Kumuls have competed in the Rugby League World Cup, alongside Australia and New Zealand.

18th team

The NRL expanded to become a 17-club competition in 2023, with the addition of the Dolphins, based in Brisbane’s Redcliffe region. Since then, there have been talks around expanding the NRL to 18 teams.

During a visit to PNG last year, Federal Minister for the Pacific Pat Conroy said the Government has an “earnest desire to deliver a rugby league team” in PNG.

He announced $5.5 million to help PNG build its case to join the NRL, and to support player “pathways” to encourage young people’s involvement in the game.

Australia’s support

Prime Minister of PNG James Marape said last year that rugby league has strengthened “the diplomatic ties between Papua New Guinea and Australia”.

PM Anthony Albanese confirmed he discussed the matter with Marape during talks earlier this year.

“They are very passionate about their rugby league and that's why it would be a good thing for the economic development of PNG,” Albanese told ABC radio this week.

If a deal is reached with the NRL, it’s not yet clear when PNG would officially join the competition. However, Deputy PM Richard Marles has indicated a timeframe of “around 2027“.

Shadow Minister for the Pacific Michael McCormack told TDA he supported the idea of a PNG rugby league team.

However, he acknowledged some concerns around “logistics” that would need to be worked through.

Response

Once negotiations are finalised, the NRL’s governing body – the Australian Rugby League Commission (ARLC) – will need to approve PNG’s bid to enter the competition.

Peter V’landys is chairman of the ARLC. Last week he told media PNG’s entry to the NRL is not a “done deal”, and that there are “a few negotiating points” still outstanding.

Conroy told TDA the NRL and the Government “are aligned on a way forward,” however.

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