The Papua New Guinea NRL side has been given the moniker 'Chiefs' ahead of their arrival in the top flight.
Set to enter the league in 2028, the PNG-based outfit's nickname was confirmed to local fans in Port Moresby, where Papua New Guinea and Australia will clash at Santos National Stadium for the PM XIII fixture on Sunday.
PNG Prime Minister James Marape confirmed the decision to the crowd, with the Chiefs title holding ties to the nation's ancestry, beating the other shortlisted option - Pythons.
"Our forefathers and mothers were chiefs who kept order, peace, and balance among our tribes," Marape said, via nrl.com.au.
"As we play on the world stage, the PNG Chiefs will carry that same spirit — the strength of unity in diversity.
"Everyone felt that Chiefs was more appropriate on the basis that we are a sovereign nation of many tribes; over 850 languages and 1000 tribes. Before there was a Prime Minister, and a King or Queen in England, the sovereign head within the tribe was the Chief.
"The name just blends in well with the authenticity of where we came from as a nation of so many tribes, united into one nation in 1975 and gifted by Australia. It has a strong meaning to our authentic identity."
The Papua New Guinea and Australian governments, in conjunction with the Australian Rugby League Commission, narrowed the final name down from a public competition.
The Papua New Guinea Chiefs will follow the NRL expansion of the Perth Bears the year prior.
“Chiefs” Sounds like an NZ Union team or an NFL side.
I really wanted them to be called the PNG HEAD HUNTERS.