Leigh Leopards star Edwin Ipape would “walk into the NRL” according to his national team head coach Jason Demetriou.
Demetriou, who has been appointed as the head coach for the new look London Broncos, has sung Ipape’s praised and even argued that he’d be one of the perfect players to launch the new Papua New Guinean NRL team.
The NRL expanded to 17 teams in recent years but an 18th and 19th side are set to join with Perth Bears to join the competition in 2027, and PNG Chiefs to do so in 2028.
As head coach of Papua New Guinea, Demetriou has obviously learned a fair bit about the culture of the diverse nation, one of the few nations where rugby league is a national sport, and he’s admitted that he would be willing to coach the team.
Demetriou has a two-year deal with London with the option of a third, a seemingly perfect jump-off point to take on the PNG Chiefs job and it appears he’d be keen for Leigh Leopards star Edwin Ipape to be part of that.
Leigh Leopards’ Edwin Ipape tipped to be a star if he signed with PNG Chiefs
“I’ve spoken to the people over here. They know where I stand,” he said to The Daily Telegraph when talking about his future with the national team and prospects of coaching the PNG Chiefs.
“I love coaching the Kumuls and it would be a fantastic opportunity to build something from the ground up in a country that’s devoted to rugby league.
“There’s an excitement within the country around the bid side coming in and you can feel that in and around the community.
“At the same time there is still a lot of work to do in preparing a squad to be ready for the NRL in two years time.”
One man who he thinks can make the jump to the NRL is Leigh hooker Edwin Ipape, though the Papua New Guinean is tied to the Leopards until 2031.
“Edwin would walk into the NRL,” said Demetriou.
“I’ve been with him the last few days and he is one of the sharpest and most elite hookers I’ve ever seen.”
“They’d be huge,” he said of having players like Ipape or South Sydney’s Alex Johnston as the faces of a PNG Chiefs side.
“Having some experience in county and understanding what it’s about will make recruitment a lot easier.”
Serious About Rugby League has launched a brand new podcast which can be watched in full on our YouTube channel here.
