Prominent rugby league journalist Michael Chammas is tipped to accept the role of inaugural general manager, a move that has raised eyebrows across the game but also signals serious intent from the expansion outfit.
Chammas would step straight from the media spotlight into one of the most important foundation jobs in the sport, charged with building the PNG Chiefs football department and setting the club’s long-term NRL strategy from the ground up.
CODE Sports has reported the NRL has sought out the NRL media personality for the job and Chammas just has to accept the role to become an important part of the expansion club.
The Chiefs will not be starting from scratch entirely, with Papua New Guinea Rugby Football League director Lorna McPherson already appointed as CEO after more than 16 years working on the ground growing the game in the country.
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McPherson has overseen the rise of PNG’s premier domestic competition and helped establish an elite women’s pathway, giving the new club a leader with deep local knowledge and strong development credentials.
It is still a controversial appointment, with many fans and the general public questioning the appointment of someone with no club experience into the hardest executive role in the game, seemingly out of no where.
While the Chiefs are yet to sign a coach or a single player, Chammas’ potential appointment may has reportedly been ear-marked for an administrative switch for months at ARLC level.
Last year it was reported ARLC chairman Peter V’landys had identified Chammas as a candidate for a senior role within the game’s power structure, with strategy and football operations flagged as possible landing spots.
There was also speculation he could have joined the Perth Bears in an executive capacity before that expansion club settled on former media boss Anthony De Ceglie as CEO.
Chammas has been one of the most recognisable newsbreakers in rugby league through his work across Nine’s newspapers and television programs, including regular appearances on 100% Footy.
His media career has not been without controversy, including a high-profile exclusion from a panel episode involving Mitch Moses due to a long-running feud with the star playmaker’s agent, Isaac Moses.
He also had a fiery on-air exchange with Bulldogs football boss Phil Gould last season after suggesting Canterbury may have misled the public over their pursuit of Lachlan Galvin.
The clash reportedly continued off camera and became one of the more talked-about media moments of the year, underlining Chammas’ willingness to ask hard questions even of the game’s heaviest hitters.
That edge, along with his deep contact book and understanding of the player market, may ultimately be what convinced the PNG Chiefs, and indeed the NRL, he is the right person to help build their club identity from day one.
If confirmed, the move would mark one of the most unusual career pivots in recent league history and instantly make Chammas one of the most influential figures shaping rugby league’s newest frontier.
Despite his deep knowledge of the game from years in the media, and the apparent backing of senior NRL powerbrokers including Peter V’landys, scrutiny is certain to follow until Chammas can prove himself in a role where he has no prior hands-on experience.
It also places fresh pressure on the PNG expansion project itself, with sections of fans and media already questioning the venture’s long-term viability and genuine prospects of success as an NRL franchise.