The Australian Rugby League Commission is understood to have appointed Willie Peters as the inaugural head coach of the PNG Chiefs, who are set to enter the NRL in 2028.
The NRL's second expansion team in as many years who will take the competition to 19 teams, the Chiefs are the NRL's most audacious project yet.
The Port Moresby-based outfit can begin negotiations with players from November 1 this year, and Peters, according to multiple sources, has been appointed the head coach of the side.
It's understood his management and the ARLC - who maintain the right to appoint the first head coach for new outfits, as they did with Wayne Bennett at the Dolphins and Mal Meninga at the Perth Bears - are in the final exchanges of negotiations with a four-year deal on the table.
That deal will be longer than the one agreed to by both Bennett and Meninga when they began work at their respective expansion clubs.
Reports out of England claim Peters told Hull KR staff and players of his decision overnight.
The Chiefs, who have already appointed ex-journalist Michael Chammas as their director of football, will face unique challenges not seen before in the NRL, with question marks around how they will attract talent to make the shift away from Australia.
Peters will help that cause though given his wild success in England with Hull KR over the last couple of years.
In being appointed, Peters has seen off challenges from Brad Arthur, Jason Demetriou and Adrian Lam, who were both believed to be well in the mix to take over the inaugural coaching appointment.
As with the Dolphins and Bears, Peters will commence work with the new outfit from the end of the current season given player recruitment can kick-off on November 1.
