{"id":412725,"date":"2026-01-14T17:05:08","date_gmt":"2026-01-14T17:05:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/412725\/"},"modified":"2026-01-14T17:05:08","modified_gmt":"2026-01-14T17:05:08","slug":"png-chiefs-make-key-off-field-appointment-ahead-of-nrl-entry","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/412725\/","title":{"rendered":"PNG Chiefs make key off-field appointment ahead of NRL entry"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>New NRL franchise PNG Chiefs have ticked a major off-field box, with Lorna McPherson appointed as their inaugural Chief Executive Officer (CEO) by the Australian Rugby League Commission (ARLC).<\/p>\n<p>The Chiefs have ben formed as part of the ARLC\u2019s long-term expansion plans Down Under, with the new Perth Bears franchise entering the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.loverugbyleague.com\/nrl\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">NRL<\/a> in 2027 and then this PNG-based side the following year.<\/p>\n<p>Currently in the process of putting building blocks in place as things gear up towards that 2028 entry, the Chiefs now have a CEO in situ: and she arrives as a familiar figure within the nation.<\/p>\n<p>Want more Love Rugby League? Add us as a <a rel=\"noopener nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/preferences\/source?q=loverugbyleague.com\" target=\"_blank\">preferred source on Google<\/a> and ensure you never miss our exclusives and breaking news!<\/p>\n<p>PNG Chiefs make key off-field appointment as momentum gathers ahead of NRL entry<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"0\" data-end=\"311\">McPherson has lived and worked in PNG for more than 16 years, helping to shape the modern game in the country.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"0\" data-end=\"311\">Having served as a Director of the Papua New Guinea Rugby Football League (PNGRFL), she was already involved at board level with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.loverugbyleague.com\/tag\/png-chiefs\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">the Chiefs<\/a>, providing \u00a0insight into the challenges and opportunities facing the new franchise.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"0\" data-end=\"311\">McPherson played a central role in the growth of the Digicel ExxonMobil Cup, helping turn the competition into a truly national event that connected communities across the country and provided pathways for young players.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"0\" data-end=\"311\">Elsewhere, she was also heavily involved in the development of elite women\u2019s rugby league in PNG, supporting the creation of the Santos Cup.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"0\" data-end=\"311\">ARLC Chairman Peter V\u2019landys was among those involved in appointing the Chiefs\u2019 new CEO, and had plenty of praise for McPherson as her selection was announced.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"0\" data-end=\"311\">V\u2019landys said: \u201cLorna has an outstanding track record of success in business and importantly has been entrenched in PNG and directly involved with rugby league for over 16 years.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"0\" data-end=\"311\">\u201cSecuring a leader with a reputation for driving significant commercial growth across business and the elite local rugby league competitions, along with established connections in PNG, is an important step in building a strong administration for the Chiefs.\u201d<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"0\" data-end=\"311\">McPherson will now have a leading role in identifying the Chiefs\u2019 first head coach.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"0\" data-end=\"311\">London Broncos boss Jason Demetriou is the man at the helm of the country\u2019s nation side and has already expressed his interest in the Chiefs\u2019 vacancy.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"0\" data-end=\"311\">Elsewhere, it\u2019s expected that Leigh Leopards boss Adrian Lam will be in the running, providing he wishes to be.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"New NRL franchise PNG Chiefs have ticked a major off-field box, with Lorna McPherson appointed as their inaugural&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":412726,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[568],"tags":[64,63,761,762,158,85],"class_list":["post-412725","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nrl","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-national-rugby-league","tag-nationalrugbyleague","tag-nrl","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/412725","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=412725"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/412725\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/412726"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=412725"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=412725"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=412725"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}