Papua New Guinea National Rugby League

Last updated

PNGNRL Digicel-ExxonMobil Cup
Current season or competition:
Rugby football current event.svg 2024 PNGNRL season
Papua New Guinea National Rugby League logo.png
Sport Rugby league
Formerly known asSP Cup (1990–2005)
Bemobile Cup (2009–10)
Digicel Cup (2011–2022)
Digicel-ExxonMobil Cup (2023–present)
Instituted2005
Inaugural season1990 (as SP Cup)
ChairStanley Hondina
Number of teams12
Country Papua New Guinea
Premiers Mt Hagen Eagles (2024)
Most titles Rabaul Gurias (6 titles)

The Papua New Guinea National Rugby League Competition (or the PNGNRL for short, for sponsorship reasons the PNGNRL Digicel-ExxonMobil Cup) is a semi-professional rugby league competition held annually in Papua New Guinea. Changes in sponsorship have meant it was Formerly known as the SP Inter-City Cup or SP Cup (1990–2008) and later the Bemobile Cup (2009–2010). The current competition is sponsored by pacific telecommunications giant Digicel and new co-naming rights sponsor ExxonMobil [1] (one of the world's largest publicly traded oil and gas companies) which joined in 2023 and so it is currently called the Digicel-ExxonMobil Cup. [2]

Contents

History

Previous to 2005 the PNG NRL was called the SP Inter-City Cup. The national competition was known as the SP Cup, and has been held since 1990. No competition was held in 2004 due to financial problems and province violence in certain provinces.[ citation needed ] But the competition returned for 2005 season as the new-look PNGNRL.

The 2005 season had eight teams in total from all around Papua New Guinea. In 2006, one team got relegated (Monier Broncos) to make way for two new teams, Central Raiders and Pagini Warriors. The inaugural winner of the competition was the Agmark Gurias who beat the Brian Bell Bulldogs in Port Moresby.

In 2009, local mobile telecommunication Company, Bemobile, took over from SP Brewery as the competitions major sponsor. Currently 9 teams compete in the competition. [3]

Logo 2011-2022 Digicel Cup logo.pong.png
Logo 2011–2022

On February 9, 2011, telecommucations company Digicel who has taken over the industry in PNG since its operation started in 2007, announced that it will be sponsoring PNG's premier sporting event for the next five years. [4]

Sponsorship Names

Teams

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Principal areas represented by 2025 Digicel Cup teams
2025 Digicel Cup Teams
TeamStadiumCity/Area
Toowoomba Clydesdales colours.svg Central Dabaris Oil Search National Football Stadium Port Moresby, National Capital District
Cairns Cyclones Colours.svg Enga Mioks Johnson Siki Aipus Wabag, Enga Province
South Queensland colours.svg Goroka Lahanis National Sports Institute Goroka, Eastern Highlands Province
Cronulla colours.svg Gulf Isou Oil Search National Football Stadium Kerema, Gulf Province
Bundaberg Colours.svg Hela Wigmen Oil Search National Football Stadium Tari Hela Province
Ipswich Colours.svg Kimbe Cutters Muthuvel Stadium Kimbe, West New Britain Province
Wests Tigers colours.svg Lae Snax Tigers Lae League Oval Lae, Morobe Province
Auckland colours.svg Mendi Muruks Joseph Keviame Oval Mendi, Southern Highlands Province
Gold Coast Titans colours.svg Mt. Hagen Eagles Rebiamul Oval Mt. Hagen, Western Highlands Province
Port Moresby Vipers Colours.svg Port Moresby Vipers Oil Search National Football Stadium Port Moresby, National Capital District
Wynnum-Manly Colours.svg Rabaul Gurias Kalabond Oval Kokopo, East New Britain Province
Australian colours.svg Waghi Tumbe Minj Oval Minj, Jiwaka Province

History of Premiers

YearPremiersRunners UpScoreAttendance
1990 Port Moresby Vipers Mt Hagen Eagles 22–149,230
1991 Port Moresby Vipers Mt Hagen Eagles 18–18 [a] 8,900
1992 Port Moresby Vipers Mt Hagen Eagles 36–012,112
1993 Goroka Lahanis Port Moresby Vipers 22–108,291
1994 Port Moresby Vipers Goroka Lahanis 36–308,011
1995 Lae Bombers Mendi Muruks 28–1810,232
1996 Mendi Muruks Kundiawa Warriors 11–1012,312
1997 Mt Hagen Eagles Lae Bombers 19–1610,271
1998 Mt Hagen Eagles Mendi Muruks 14–69,278
1999 Goroka Lahanis Rabaul Gurias 24–010,812
2000 Enga Mioks Rabaul Gurias 36–2014,123
2001 Rabaul Gurias Goroka Lahanis 18–210,912
2002 Lae Bombers Rabaul Gurias 14–1212,321
2003 Rabaul Gurias Lae Bombers 17–1612,381
2004 [b] Mendi MenjalsPopondetta Butterflies22–012,322
2005 Rabaul Gurias Port Moresby Bulldogs 14–1310,249
2006 Mendi Muruks Goroka Lahanis 19–1412,021
2007 Mendi Muruks Rabaul Gurias 42–611,000+
2008 Mendi Muruks Mt Hagen Eagles 14–412,000+
2009 Rabaul Gurias Enga Mioks 24–1415,000+
2010 Goroka Lahanis Mendi Muruks 21–1020,000+ [5]
2011 Goroka Lahanis Rabaul Gurias 20–1020,000+ [6]
2012 Rabaul Gurias Mendi Muruks 14–1020,000+ [7]
2013 Port Moresby Vipers Goroka Lahanis 36–1420,000+ [8]
2014 Hela Wigmen Agmark Gurias 34–8
2015 Rabaul Gurias TNA Simbu Lions26–1820,000+ [9]
2016 Lae Snax Tigers Rabaul Gurias 14–820,000+ [10]
2017 Lae Snax Tigers Rabaul Gurias 11–1020,000+ [11]
2018 Goroka Lahanis Enga Mioks 10–620,000+ [12]
2019 Lae Snax Tigers Hela Wigmen 15–420,000+ [13]
2020 Hela Wigmen Lae Snax Tigers 16–14 [14]
2021 Lae Snax Tigers Waghi Tumbe 16–10 [15]
2022 Hela Wigmen Rabaul Gurias 8–6
2023 Enga Mioks Goroka Lahanis 26–6
2024 Mt Hagen Eagles Hela Wigmen 28–2013,900

Performance by team

TeamWinRunners UpWinning yearsRunners Up years
Rabaul Gurias 682001, 2003, 2005, 2009, 2012, 20151999, 2000, 2002, 2007, 2011, 2016, 2017, 2022
Goroka Lahanis 551993, 1999, 2010, 2011, 20181994, 2001, 2005, 2006, 2013, 2023
Port Moresby Vipers 521990, 1991, 1992, 1994, 2013 1993, 2005 (as Port Moresby Bulldogs)
Mendi Muruks 441996, 2006, 2007, 20081995, 1998, 2010, 2012
Lae Snax Tigers 412016, 2017, 2019, 2021 2020
Mt Hagen Eagles 341997, 1998, 2024 1990, 1991, 1992, 2008
Hela Wigmen 322014, 2020, 2022 2019, 2024
Lae Bombers 221995, 20021997, 2003
Enga Mioks 222000, 2023 2009, 2018
Mendi Menjals102004
Waghi Tumbe 01 2021
Popondetta Butterflies012004
TNA Simbu Lions012015
Simbu Warriors011996

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ Vipers win by virtue of scoring more tries
  2. ↑ Competition not held that year

References

  1. ↑ "ExxonMobil becomes co-sponsor of PNGNRL Digicel ExxonMobil Cup". 17 March 2023.
  2. ↑ "Digicel Exxon Mobil Cup Launched". 14 April 2023.
  3. ↑ "Bemobile Cup - PNG National Rugby League: About Bemobile Cup". Archived from the original on 7 February 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2010.
  4. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 30 January 2012.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  5. ↑ "Post-Courier Online". Archived from the original on 6 September 2012. Retrieved 18 October 2010.
  6. ↑ "Sports news". Archived from the original on 22 June 2013. Retrieved 30 January 2012.
  7. ↑ EMTV Online (9 September 2012). "Gurias wins 2012 Digicel Cup Title". Archived from the original on 13 December 2021. Retrieved 1 October 2018– via YouTube.
  8. ↑ "PNG's Number One Daily Newspaper! - The National". The National. Retrieved 1 October 2018.
  9. ↑ "Gurias win 2015 Digicel Cup - Loop PNG". looppng.com. 5 September 2015. Retrieved 1 October 2018.
  10. ↑ "Naru thanks Tigers for winning the 2016 Digicel Cup - Loop PNG". looppng.com. 5 September 2016. Retrieved 1 October 2018.
  11. ↑ "Tigers are 2017 Digicel Cup champions! - Loop PNG". looppng.com. 9 September 2017. Retrieved 1 October 2018.
  12. ↑ "Lahanis scoop coveted trophy! - Loop PNG". looppng.com. 2 September 2018. Retrieved 8 October 2018.
  13. ↑ Patjole, Cedric (8 September 2019). "Lae Tigers ultimate 2019 winners". Loop PNG. Retrieved 22 February 2020.
  14. ↑ "Wigmen avenge defeat – the National".
  15. ↑ "Tigers Claim Fourth Premiership". 13 September 2021.
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