{"id":653810,"date":"2026-05-06T18:04:30","date_gmt":"2026-05-06T18:04:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/653810\/"},"modified":"2026-05-06T18:04:30","modified_gmt":"2026-05-06T18:04:30","slug":"alex-johnston-becomes-first-papua-new-guinean-player-to-sign-with-the-chiefs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/653810\/","title":{"rendered":"Alex Johnston becomes first Papua New Guinean player to sign with the Chiefs"},"content":{"rendered":"

The PNG Chiefs have moved to strengthen their roster ahead of their planned NRL debut in 2028, signing prolific try-scorer Alex Johnston on a one-year deal as player number 002.<\/p>\n

Johnston’s arrival marks another step in the club’s preparations under coach Willie Peters, as it looks to assemble a competitive squad with strong connections to Papua New Guinea and the wider Pacific.<\/p>\n

The winger brings significant attacking pedigree, having built a reputation as one of the game’s most consistent finishers.\u00a0<\/p>\n

His signing is also seen as an important cultural addition, given his ties to Papua New Guinea and his standing among rugby league fans in the region.<\/p>\n

PNG Chiefs general manager Michael Chammas described the recruitment as a landmark moment for the club.<\/p>\n

“AJ is the greatest try scorer in the history of our game and a Papua New Guinean icon,” he said.<\/p>\n

\"A Alex Johnston proudly wears a Papua New Guinean flag over his shoulders during the NRL’s cultural round.(Facebook: South Sydney Rabbitohs)<\/p>\n

“A player who has represented his country with pride on the international stage and carried the hopes of the PNG people throughout a remarkable career. And now he is coming home.<\/p>\n

\u00a0“He is the first Papua New Guinean player to sign with the PNG Chiefs. The first of many.”<\/p>\n

Chief executive Lorna McPherson said the signing reflected the club’s commitment to building a team capable of competing from its first season.<\/p>\n

“This is exactly what we promised \u2014 to build a team that the people of PNG can be proud of and one that can compete with the best from day one,” she said.<\/p>\n

“Alex is a record holder, we’ve seen what he can achieve, and everyone knows that he is a proven performer, but just as importantly, he’s a great person who represents the values of our club.<\/p>\n

“Alex has been a tremendous ambassador for the game and the perfect ambassador for PNG, so bringing Alex home to the Chiefs feels right.”<\/p>\n

The Chiefs have emphasised a focus on community, family and national pride as key pillars, with Johnston’s professionalism and reputation off the field seen as aligning with those values.<\/p>\n

\"A Alex Johnston with his children after a South Sydneys Rabbitohs game.(Facebook: South Sydney Rabbitohs)<\/p>\n

McPherson said the club was continuing to build momentum as its inaugural season approaches.<\/p>\n

“We now have players 001 and 002 locked in, and we’re only getting started. There’s real belief and excitement building around what we’re creating.”<\/p>\n

Johnston is expected to play a leading role in shaping the team’s identity as the Chiefs prepare for their entry into the NRL.<\/p>\n

The club also acknowledged the South Sydney Rabbitohs for their cooperation during the process, allowing Johnston to explore the opportunity while still under contract.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The PNG Chiefs have moved to strengthen their roster ahead of their planned NRL debut in 2028, signing…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":653811,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[568],"tags":[4558,64,63,4582,316133,761,762,158,27284,316135,234580,316134,159,588,85,276944],"class_list":["post-653810","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nrl","tag-alex-johnston","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-jarome-luai","tag-kumuls","tag-national-rugby-league","tag-nationalrugbyleague","tag-nrl","tag-papua-new-guinea","tag-player-002","tag-png-chiefs","tag-record-holder","tag-rugby-league","tag-sport","tag-sports","tag-winger"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/653810","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=653810"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/653810\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/653811"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=653810"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=653810"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=653810"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}