{"id":909169,"date":"2026-09-29T00:30:14","date_gmt":"2026-09-29T00:30:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/909169\/"},"modified":"2026-09-29T00:30:14","modified_gmt":"2026-09-29T00:30:14","slug":"where-rugby-league-meets-the-lens-trevor-mallens-journey-from-borrowed-camera-to-the-world-cup","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/909169\/","title":{"rendered":"Where rugby league meets the lens: Trevor Mallen’s journey from borrowed camera to the World Cup"},"content":{"rendered":"

Sports photography was never part of Trevor Mallen’s plan.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Born and raised in Kiunga in the Western Province, Mallen’s journey began with a borrowed camera, a curiosity for photography and, eventually, a rugby league match that changed his direction.<\/p>\n

Interested in IT, he enrolled at Don Bosco Technical Institute in 2014 and was initially selected to study for a bachelor’s degree in computer technology.<\/p>\n

However, family responsibilities changed those plans, and he switched to a diploma program so he could enter the workforce sooner.<\/p>\n

“I didn’t want to put the burden on my parents. I wanted to work so I could help them, so they could focus on my siblings, and I could focus on myself.”<\/p>\n

The decision led to his first formal job with the Papua New Guinea Electoral Commission in 2017 after completing training that impressed his supervisors.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Along the way, another passion was quietly developing.<\/p>\n

Finding the camera<\/p>\n

Mallen’s introduction to photography came during his time at Don Bosco.<\/p>\n

One of his classmates owned a Panasonic digital camera but had little interest in using it. While boarding there, the camera was eventually left with Mallen, who began experimenting by taking photos at class parties, cultural shows and of friends.<\/p>\n

“I instantly became the photographer for the group,” he said.<\/p>\n

What started as a casual hobby soon became something more serious, and he drew inspiration from photographers including David Manase, Brian Alois and the creator of Niu Guinea Photographs.<\/p>\n

“I would see their work and think, ‘I will be taking pictures like these one day.'”<\/p>\n

\"A Trevor behind the lens for the Central Dabaris during a national domestic Cup match against the Port Moresby Vipers at the National Football Stadium.(Supplied: Lisa Puni)<\/p>\n

While at the Electoral Commission, he had access to a Nikon D7000, which he used to photograph training sessions, workshops and events.<\/p>\n

By 2017, he had saved enough money to buy his own Canon DSLR camera with a kit lens and launched Lakoko Photographs, named after his late grandmother, before establishing Trevor Mallen Photography the following year.<\/p>\n

At first, the self-described introvert focused on flowers, landscapes and everyday scenes.\u00a0<\/p>\n

“I found people hard to approach,” he said.<\/p>\n

Finding his niche<\/p>\n

In 2018, Mallen attended a Digicel Cup match to watch his cousin, former Gulf Isou player Stanis Susuve.<\/p>\n

While watching the game, he noticed there were no photographers covering the match.<\/p>\n

“I can recall vividly the time when I tapped into sports photography. No one was doing it,” he said.<\/p>\n

His camera equipment at the time was not suited to capturing action from a distance, so he turned to YouTube tutorials and online research to learn more about sports photography.<\/p>\n

After saving about K3,500, he purchased a Sigma telephoto lens and, armed with new equipment, began attending matches at Sir John Guise Stadium, photographing games and sharing his images online.<\/p>\n

His first attempt to become a team photographer was with Gulf Isou, but he received no response.<\/p>\n

Later that year, he came across the newly formed Central Dabaris during trial matches as the club prepared for its inaugural domestic cup season.<\/p>\n

\"Photographer Trevor Mallen photographing the Central Dabaris at Sir John Guise Stadium in Port Moresby in 2019, the Dabaris inaugural season and his first year as well(Supplied: Lisa Puni)<\/p>\n

He was there simply to practise, but the Dabaris approached him about purchasing some of his photographs.\u00a0<\/p>\n

“I had no intention of becoming their team photographer or anything. I wanted to practise my craft,” he explained.<\/p>\n

Rather than just sell the images, Mallen offered to photograph the team on game days, giving him an opportunity to continue developing his skills.<\/p>\n

“And the rest was history.”<\/p>\n

From club football to the national stage<\/p>\n

Mallen soon found himself travelling with the Central Dabaris for away matches, documenting not only games but the activities surrounding the team.<\/p>\n

Through an arrangement with PNG Air, he was able to travel and photograph rugby league beyond his local stadium.<\/p>\n

The more matches he covered, the more comfortable he became around players, coaches and team environments, opening the door to bigger opportunities.<\/p>\n

In 2022, Mallen had a chance meeting with Urith Toa from the PNG Hunters, who told him she had been following his work and that an opportunity was available.<\/p>\n

That conversation eventually led to Mallen becoming the official photographer for the PNG Hunters in 2023, with responsibilities expanding beyond match days to include team activities and events, including the Prime Minister’s XIII.<\/p>\n

\"A Trevor Mallen with Kumuls Media Officer Max, organising the players for a team photograph during the 2025 Prime Minister\u2019s XIII in Port Moresby(Supplied: Lisa Puni)<\/p>\n

Mallen developed not only an understanding of rugby league but of the people around the game and the importance of preserving moments that often disappear once the final whistle sounds.<\/p>\n

His work then expanded into women’s rugby league with the Santos Cup and the PNG Orchids squads.<\/p>\n

As his role grew, photography became just one part of his work, alongside video production, graphics and broader visual storytelling.<\/p>\n

In 2025, Mallen was asked to assist with coverage of the PNG Kumuls while continuing his work with the Orchids.<\/p>\n

It was a demanding period because alongside rugby league assignments, he was still balancing a full-time job.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Transport challenges, traffic, multiple venues and tight deadlines often meant moving quickly between responsibilities, but despite the pressure, working around the national team carried special significance for Mallen.<\/p>\n

“You’re trying to get there on time, then make it to the next venue, and then collect, compile, edit and post,” he said.<\/p>\n

“At that time, for me, I felt it was my national team. I didn’t want to let them down.”<\/p>\n

A World Cup opportunity<\/p>\n

This year, Mallen will be part of the PNG Orchids media team for the Rugby League World Cup, with the majority of the Orchids games set to be played in Papua New Guinea. He is already working with the team and helping to develop content plans for the tournament.<\/p>\n

“I’m absolutely thrilled and deeply honoured to have the opportunity to photograph our national team at the Rugby League World Cup, particularly the PNG Orchids”, he said.<\/p>\n

“For me, this is much more than just a photography assignment. It is an opportunity to represent my country in my own way and to document our women as they proudly wear the colours of Papua New Guinea on the world stage.<\/p>\n

“I’ve always been incredibly patriotic and passionate about Papua New Guinea, so to be trusted with capturing these moments is something that means a great deal to me personally.<\/p>\n

“Whether it’s the Kumuls or the Orchids, being behind the camera for our national teams is something I never take for granted.”<\/p>\n

\"Three PNG Kumuls players Morea Morea Jnr and Gairo Voro pose with Trevor Mallen and the Pacific Bowl at the National Football Stadium in Port Moresby during the 2025 Pacific Championships.(Supplied: Lisa Puni)<\/p>\n

Posted\u00a0Tue 29 Sep 2026 at 8:16amTue 29 Sep 2026 at 8:16amTue 29 Sep 2026 at 8:16am<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Sports photography was never part of Trevor Mallen’s plan.\u00a0 Born and raised in Kiunga in the Western Province,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":909170,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[567],"tags":[64,63,8046,477483,1685,27284,42542,15560,477481,130438,760,159,139707,85,477482,477480],"class_list":["post-909169","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-rugby","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-camera","tag-central-dabaris","tag-media","tag-papua-new-guinea","tag-photographer","tag-png","tag-png-hunters","tag-png-orchids","tag-rugby","tag-rugby-league","tag-rugby-league-world-cup","tag-sports","tag-sports-photography","tag-trevor-mallen"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/909169","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=909169"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/909169\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/909170"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=909169"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=909169"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=909169"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}