Almanac Rugby League – The 26th Annual Tom Brock Lecture: Stories of PNG Rugby League

 

Patrick Skene had his first rugby league story published on The Footy  Almanac in 2014. He regards that as his ‘the spring of the Nile’ moment as his ventures into writing about rugby league flowed from that source. Earlier this year, Patrick was one of a panel of four guests at the Almanac’s inaugural rugby league lunch in Sydney. He told me that he’d be happy to speak to an audience of one! This week he presented the 26th Annual Tom Brock Lecture, arguably the most prestigious oration in the code, to an audience of 100 at Petersham RSL. His focus was the history of rugby league in Papua New Guinea and their entry into the NRL in 2028.

 

Patrick Skene presents the Tom Brock Lecture

 

Supported by a series of well chosen images which captured both the times and the people involved, Patrick traced the development of rugby league in PNG from a white man’s game around the time of World War II, through the ‘takeover’ of the code domestically as it became the passionate, unofficial ‘religion’ of the country, to the point where a PNG team will enter the NRL in season 2028. Perhaps it is not too liberal a translation of his argument to say of that final realisation of a long-held dream, ‘it’s about bloody time’!

 

Central to Patrick’s overview was the link forged between Australia and the territories of Papua and New Guinea during World War II. Without the support and sacrifices of the latter, the Australian forces would have struggled to hold on against the Japanese. The Fuzzy Wuzzy Angels were no myth but, rather, a real ‘army’ of brothers in arms who stood shoulder to shoulder with, fought alongside of and helped the Australians at great cost to themselves. As the years passed, they all found common ground in rugby league which became a unifying force among the multitude of tribes throughout  the provinces, a national obsession and a basis for ongoing interaction.

 

Patrick Skene is an engaging, enlightening and entertaining speaker, full of anecdotal tangents, and in command of both the breadth and depth of his material. He does not ‘perform’, rather he leads, educates and persuades his audience with his passionate enthusiasm and heart-on-sleeve belief in his topic. His presentation was also interspersed with humour, rapier-like asides aimed at the nay-sayers, and an endearing layer of self-deprecation. There’s not a lot of ego in his delivery but, instead, he seems somewhat in awe of what has happened and about what can and should happen in the years ahead.

 

In a short seminar/question and answer session following the lecture, chaired by moderator Terry Williams, Patrick was joined on stage by Sydney PNG Consul General Ponabe Yuwa and NRL Senior Reporter Brad Walter. Mr Yuwa echoed the notion of a relationship forged in war and asked fans of the game in Australia to accept PNG into the NRL – “we are here, please accept us”. Mr Yuwa offered the notion that PNG’s presence in the NRL is not primarily about winning trophies but rather about brotherhood and valuing the interaction. He also, in humourous fashion, broke with protocol and voiced his personal preference for the name of the new team, The Fuzzy Wuzzy Angels.

 

Brad Walter spoke with enthusiasm about support within PNG for a team in the NRL, arguing that sold out matches, broad based sponsorship and a huge pool of talent in the country stood the franchise in good stead. The key to making it all work is to put good structures in place, build the venture and the team around good people in both administration and on the field, and, very importantly, be patient in the early years as the whole concept is established. And his ideal inaugural clash in Round 1 of 2028? PNG v Brisbane Broncos!

 

Patrick Skene, Consul General Ponabe Yuwa and Brad Walter

 

Based on a previous experience, I went to this lecture to hear Patrick speak, knowing that what he had to say would be worth hearing. I got that in spades, but I was moved as I also learned a lot about the past, revisited a few things along the way that I knew a bit about, was reminded of key PNG players over the years, took in a lot about where this venture can go, and realised that in PNG, rugby league is most definitely ‘the greatest game of all’. My wife, no fan of the game itself but attending alongside me as a former teacher of History, was also enthusiastic in her evaluation of the lecture and endorsed Patrick generously when she had the opportunity to speak with him.

 

Congratulations to Patrick for an excellent lecture, well delivered, well illustrated and presented with a beautifully nuanced, understated passion for his topic.

 

Also, well done to the Tom Brock team and all those involved in arranging the evening.

 

The full lecture should be available on YouTube within a few days.

 

To read Patrick’s very first article on The Footy Almanac click HERE.

 

To read all of Patrick’s contributions on the site click HERE.

 

Photos provided by Ian Hauser.

 

 

To read our library of rugby league stories click HERE.

To return to our Footy Almanac home page click HERE.

To see the full 2025 season draw for the NRL click HERE.

To see the full 2025 season draw for the NRLW click HERE.

To see the details for State of Origin in 2025 click HERE.

 

Our writers are independent contributors. The opinions expressed in their articles are their own. They are not the views, nor do they reflect the views, of Malarkey Publications.

 

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