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\u201cIf there\u2019s an opportunity to be involved with PNG, then I\u2019d love that,\u201d Demetriou told Code Sports.<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m passionate about PNG and about the people of PNG and, more importantly, what rugby league can do for that country.\u201d<\/p>\n After leaving the NRL in 2024, Demetriou took time away from the game before receiving a call in November from Brisbane legend and London Broncos\u2019 new majority owner, Darren Lockyer. <\/p>\n Despite taking the London head coaching role, he remains devoted to PNG as the national coach.<\/p>\n He is set to remain at the helm through to the 2026 World Cup, and is currently on a three-year contrct with the Broncos.<\/p>\n But Lockyer said he won\u2019t stand in the way if a chance to lead PNG arises. <\/p>\n \u201cI coach the Kumuls, so they know where my interest is, as does the London club,\u201d Demetriou said. <\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m focusing on what I can control at the moment and that\u2019s here with London, but when the right opportunity comes down the track, I will look at it.\u201d<\/p>\n Papua New Guinea coach Jason Demetriou. Picture: NRL ImagesSource: Supplied<\/p>\n Having worked alongside PNG players over recent years, Demetriou is confident the NRL side will not take long to become a powerful force.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s scary how much potential there is in PNG,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a huge job (for the head coach). If the NRL gets the development right, in five or six years time every NRL club will be going to PNG to find talent. They will be in the shop window.<\/p>\n \u201cEveryone says why don\u2019t PNG guys get picked up from NRL teams \u2026 well no-one sees them because they aren\u2019t playing in Australian competitions.<\/p>\n \u201cI have brought a couple of PNG guys to the London Broncos and they are living on their own, adapting to a big city and doing it easy.<\/p>\n \u201cThis will make a cultural difference. If the right people are in place for the right reasons, it\u2019s a club that can have a massive impact on the NRL. In five or 10 years time, there could be 50 legitimate, PNG-born players playing in the NRL.\u201d<\/p>\n Demetriou\u2019s NRL coaching career took off in 2022 after taking the reins from Bennett at South Sydney where he delivered a preliminary final campaign.<\/p>\n However, things quickly soured as 2023 saw a mid-season slump, leading the team to miss the top eight. <\/p>\n Demetriou was then sacked in early 2024 after the side lost six out of their first seven matches.<\/p>\n SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA – APRIL 13: Rabbitohs coach, Jason Demetriou speaks to the media following the round six NRL match between South Sydney Rabbitohs and Cronulla Sharks at Accor Stadium, on April 13, 2024, in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Brendon Thorne\/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images<\/p>\n This finish has left the Kumuls coach with unfinished business, and is hopeful that a PNG Chiefs call up could give him the chance to redeem himself. <\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s an aspiration \u2014 to get back into the NRL,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019m not content with how I finished.<\/p>\n \u201cI showed early on in my stint at Souths that I\u2019ve got more to offer. It\u2019s about finding the right club. I\u2019m looking forward to doing what I need to do here at the Broncos and earning the right to get that shot again in the NRL.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s not until you go through it where you take your real lessons. I\u2019m without doubt a better coach for it. I\u2019ve been fortunate in my career in the first 10 years of coaching to have a lot of success, you know, coaching finals nearly every year at every level and winning some premierships as well.<\/p>\n \u201cSo it was probably the first time that I\u2019d hit that kind of hurdle. The NRL is brutal. It doesn\u2019t miss you, but it hasn\u2019t deterred me.\u201d<\/p>\n The Chiefs have been active in club movements over recent weeks, appointing Lorna McPherson as their inaugural CEO and journalist Michael Chammas is set to become their general manager.<\/p>\n 19\/08\/23. The Daily Telegraph, Sport \/ News. Heffron, Sydney, NSW, Australia. South Sydney coach Jason Demetriou pictured at a press conference at the club\u00c3\u0095s Heffron Training Centre this morning. Picture: Julian AndrewsSource: News Corp Australia<\/p>\n The appointment of a PNG head coach will become one of the NRL\u2019s most important hires, with the Chiefs emerging as the most ambitious expansion project in NRL history. <\/p>\n Although they are yet to recruit a coach or any players, there are a few names circling that could topple Demetriou for the spot. <\/p>\n A few Super League coaches have emerged as options including PNG-born, Leigh Leopards coach Adrian Lam and former Eels coach and current Leeds Rhinos coach Brad Arthur. <\/p>\n Former NRL player and another current Super League coach, Willie Peters is another name gaining a lot of buzz throughout the UK. <\/p>\n South Sydney\u2019s Wayne Bennett has also been mentioned as a possibility alongside Panthers\u2019 Ivan Cleary. <\/p>\n Code Sports<\/a> have reported the side\u2019s dream target would be Cleary with son Nathan also a hopeful prospect. <\/p>\n With both their contracts up at the end of 2027, a linkage to PNG is a possibility for these huge targets.<\/p>\n BULLDOGS STAR ADVICE TO TIGERS ROOKIE<\/p>\n So just how does an 18-year-old rookie rock up to training on a Monday morning after grabbing all the headlines with a 16-minute hat-trick in the NRL trials. <\/p>\n \u201cHe had a good game on the weekend and then came in this morning like everything was normal. That was great to see,\u201d Wests Tigers winger Sunia Turuva told the NewsWire when asked about teen sensation Heamasi Makasini. <\/p>\n Talent and desire are no issues for Makasini, who earnt his NRL debut in the final round last year and scored a try to give Tigers fans something to be excited about all off-season.<\/p>\n That hype only intensified on Saturday when the powerhouse outside back scored three tries in the 42-26 victory over the Roosters, although there are no guarantees he\u2019ll even be in the first grade squad to start the season.<\/p>\n And that\u2019s fine for a young man who still has so much learning to do, with Turuva \u2013 the 2023 Dally M Rookie of the Year winner \u2013 urging people to keep a lid on things. <\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s still 18 and still has a lot to learn. He\u2019s a big boy so it\u2019s crazy to know that he\u2019ll only get bigger and stronger,\u201d he said of his 192cm, 105kg teammate.<\/p>\n Wests Tigers youngster Heamasi Makasini.Source: News Corp Australia<\/p>\n \u201cHe had a pretty big pre-season, so what he dished out on the weekend was no surprise. It was pretty cool knowing that he killed it in the pre-season and was able to reap the rewards.\u201d<\/p>\n Turuva got to play with Stephen Crichton in the 2023 premiership side, with the now Bulldogs skipper earning similar hype when he burst onto the scene.<\/p>\n That hysteria proved warranted, with Crichton reaching out to Makasini to give him some advice on what\u2019s about to happen to him on and off the field.<\/p>\n MORE NRL NEWS<\/p>\n SHOOTING: Bulldogs legend fighting for life after being shot twice in attack<\/a><\/p>\n CHALK AND CHEESE: Inside the coaching evolution of Benji… and \u2018turning point\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n \u2018SHOCK OF THEIR LIFE\u2019: These two Aussie twin mums plotting incredible comeback<\/a><\/p>\n Sunia Turuva says former teammate Stephen Crichton reached out to Heamasi Makasini. Picture: NRL PhotosSource: The Daily Telegraph<\/p>\n \u201cHis idol is \u2018Critta\u2019 (Crichton) and believe it or not, Critta sent him a message a few months ago,\u201d Turuva revealed, with Makasini already earning comparisons to the Bulldogs skipper.<\/p>\n \u201cHe went through the same thing and reminded him to stay grounded and stay humble. Critta was a bit skinnier when he started, and I don\u2019t think he had as much hype as \u2018Masi\u2019 does now.<\/p>\n Doueihi ready to start as Tigers’ halves | 01:05<\/p>\n \u201cFor Masi, it\u2019s about not buying into all the stories about him. But that should be fine because he\u2019s a humble kid and does tend to stay away from that stuff. <\/p>\n \u201cHe knows he doesn\u2019t want to fall into the trap of listening to the media and then him losing his head, because that\u2019s the last thing you want for an 18-year-old. You don\u2019t want to be at the top and then have a massive drop, but he\u2019s been really good at it.\u201d<\/p>\n Get all the latest news, highlights and analysis delivered straight to your inbox with Fox Sports NRL Sportmail. Sign up now!!! <\/a><\/p>\n Players are confident the Tigers will end their finals drought under Benji Marshall.Source: Supplied Source Known<\/p>\n The Tigers will look to build on last week\u2019s encouraging win when they face the Panthers on Friday night in another trial, with the real challenge to start next month when they look to end their finals drought. <\/p>\n They haven\u2019t featured in the finals since 2011, but there\u2019s a confidence in the group that the spine of Jahream Bula, Jarome Luai, Adam Doueihi and Api Koroisau can execute coach Benji Marshall\u2019s game plan to end the drought. <\/p>\n \u201cEvery team can say it now because every team wants to be there in September, but I honestly believe we\u2019ve got the right group to do it,\u201d Turuva said.<\/p>\n 2026 SEASON PREVIEWS<\/p>\n TITANS: Big roster question for new coach… and $12m mistake he can\u2019t afford to make<\/a><\/p>\n STORM: \u2018Real genius\u2019 behind Bellamy… and weakness that could bring Storm undone<\/a><\/p>\n