Former Kumuls representative winger David Mead has called out PNG locals following footage of a brawl in the stands emerging from a domestic rugby league match in the country.
The footage shows a wild fight breaking out in the grandstand of Santos National Stadium, the future home ground of the PNG Chiefs, sparking concerns about player welfare and the role supporters play in recruitment.
One of the Chiefs' biggest tasks has been incentivising high-profile players to move out of Australia and into the different socioeconomic climate of Port Moresby, with incidents like these certainly not helping the club's case.
It has prompted the 15-Test Kumuls legend to speak out to tell the locals they have a level of responsibility when it comes to anti-social behaviour at NRL games in 2028.
“They will need a lot of education,” Mead told News Corp.
“There is no doubt the players are going to be intimidated if that type of behaviour is occurring.
“It's a different culture and environment and there is also a language barrier. Tok Pisin (pidgin) is similar to English, but the barrier hasn't been spoken about much.
“There will definitely be a level of fear. They will have to get their act together.
“The Chiefs will have to educate their fans about how to behave at NRL games.
“Generally they are pretty good. There are just a few games where a couple of individuals misbehave and things can get out of control quickly.
“They will have to do a lot of work on making sure security is up to high standards and crowd behaviour is manageable.”
During the incident, the footage appears to show a man allegedly being stomped on, with punches thrown at him while on the ground.
With Australia's Prime Minister's XIII heading into town this weekend for the annual clash against Papua New Guinea, it's a great opportunity for the country to showcase their spectacle on display ahead of the Chiefs' entry in 2028.
High-profile stars such as Jarome Luai, Brian To'o, Joseph Manu, among others, have already committed to the Melanesian country, with plenty more expected to join the side during 2027.
There are a lot of hurdles along the way for the NRL's ambitious PNG project, with Mead admitting there are some cultural differences that will need to be addressed.
“There are 800 different languages and as many different tribes in the country,” he said.
“Rugby league is an aggressive sport and people get excited. They want to let out their aggression through the players on the field and if things don't go their way, it can get out of hand.
“There are issues with law and order. One of the reasons the NRL team is coming in is to assist with the country's behaviour in general – not just around sport – but what's right and what's wrong.
“Everyone usually behaves pretty well, but it just takes a couple of individuals to cause a spark which turns into a bush fire.
“I'm sure the game will put in penalties and consequences for those misbehaving, like we saw at Eden Park a few weeks ago (Warriors-Knights final).
“Hopefully that teaches the PNG people a few lessons ahead of the NRL team coming.”
The Chiefs will announce their inaugural NRL logo on October 21, then reveal the 2028 playing jersey on October 22.
