Papua New Guinea's mission to field the NRL expansion side by 2028 is steaming ahead, but the journey so far has been anything but smooth.
Public opinion at home has been split from the outset, with some questioning whether the project's funding might be better spent on essential services, and others questioning how the club is going about luring NRL talent.
The biggest flashpoint came when General Manager Michael Chammas floated an "international-style" school for relocating players' families on Mark Bouris' Straight Talk' Podcast.
It was an idea meant to ease the transition to Port Moresby, but instead, it has ignited a furious backlash online.
Critics didn't pull punches, with one branding it "segregation and another form of apartheid separating the whites from the blacks," another likening it to "South African vibes," and a third sarcastically suggesting the club "might as well build a special grandstand for their families at the NFS (National Football Stadium) with bulletproof glass as well..."
The tide has since turned. Momentum surged after Wests Tigers skipper Jarome Luai's high-profile trip to Port Moresby, attending a match alongside Prime Minister James Marape and becoming the franchise's first signing, anointed '001'.
PNG Kumuls great Alex Johnston, who became the NRL's leading all-time try scorer, followed suit, then the Sydney Roosters utility Connor Watson and English forward Matty Lee.
Rhyse Martin has signed on to be the club's football operations manager from 2027.
The club is backed by a $600 million in Australian government funding for infrastructure, and the project is gathering real steam.
Yet governance concerns linger.
In an interview with the ABC, academic and political commentator Yuambari Haihuie cautioned that trust will hinge on openness.
"Given the governance risks in PNG, for instance, with contracting, and increasing perceptions of 'boomerang aid', the long-term success of the PNG Chiefs will require greater levels of transparency on plans," he said.
"So too are accountability and public support on both sides of the Coral Sea."
CEO Lorna McPherson has hosed down the schooling saga, insisting it was overblown.
"Regarding schooling and family arrangements, Michael Chammas' comments were misinterpreted. The PNG Chiefs are not building a school," she said.
"Family support systems will be consistent with what is standard across professional NRL clubs, and everyone is equal, including PNG and their families. We are building a family and an institution for PNG."
Not everyone is convinced. Ian Chow, Lae Snax Tigers owner and former PNG Sports Foundation chairman, didn't hold back.
"Seriously, he thought to do this? This is a bit elitist, bit colonial," he said.
"Their own private school? Where is the spin-off for the good established International schools in Port Moresby that we send our children to?
"This just supported my claim that these 'foreigners' have no idea about PNG, and some real PNG people should be assisting them."
Chammas framed the concept as borrowing from the NRL's COVID-era Sunshine Coast "bubble," where families lived and studied together, a model that also underpinned the NBA during the 2019-20 season.
Pay disparity adds another layer of unease, with "expat" workers in PNG typically earning triple the salary of "national" staff in equivalent roles, fuelling fears that incoming NRL imports could be treated differently to local players and staff.
Haihuie called for the call to lift the curtain on its strategy.
"This is why the transparency around PNG Chiefs' long-term plans is important; it builds public buy-in. At this stage, I can't speculate on recruitment strategy as the strategy is deliberately opaque," he told the ABC.
McPherson countered that local development remains at the heart of the project.
"Local talent is central to the PNG Chiefs program: the pathways will be structured, transparent, and aligned with NRL standards," she told the ABC.
"PNG players will have access to the same high-performance systems, facilities, and development opportunities as any other player in the squad."
The sharpest criticism, though, centres on land and ownership.
Chow questioned why the Australian Rugby League Commission would own the PNG Chiefs for 10 years, arguing that the entire negotiation has been steered by political agendas rather than with rugby league expertise under the control of the Papua New Guinea Rugby Football League.
