PNG Rugby Football League (PNGRFL) and PNG National Rugby League Competition have announced the 2025 Season launch of the National Rugby League Women’s Competition, Santos Cup.
The 2025 competition will be played across five rounds with two weeks of finals, which sees each team play each other once. The two weeks of finals is played between the top four teams culminating in the Grand Final, which is played ahead of the Digicel ExxonMobil Cup on 14 September.
There are currently six franchises participating in the Santos Cup, since its inception in 2024. These clubs are; Gas Resource Central Dabaris, East New Britain Agmark Gurias, Bintangor Goroka Lahanis, Lae Snax Tigers, Wamp NGA Mt. Hagen Eagles and Moni Plus NCDC Port Moresby Vipers.
PNGRFL Chief Executive Officer, Stanley Hondina, said the 2025 Season Launch reaffirmed PNGRFL’s stance in improving and standardising pathways for girls and women who aspired to be professional rugby league players.
“Santos Cup highlights our continued efforts to maintain, strengthen and build pathways to allow an equal playing field, equal opportunities and ensuring rugby league competition is accessible for our girls and women,” Hondina said.
He added that the TV Broadcast of Port Moresby matches by Digicel, on its television
station TVWan, allowed exposure and inspiration to young women currently playing rugby league at a grassroot level and our affiliated competitions.
“This is more than a competition; Santos Cup represents a National Outlet for our Affiliated and grassroots female competition that is very much present, growing and breaking barriers at a community and school levels across PNG,” Hondina said.
“The ecosystem of rugby League continues to grow and reach out to international opportunities, we have Elise Albert who has found her place in the NRLW Telstra Premiership as a prop for Paramatta Eels and we have several Orchids players playing in the Australia NRL affiliated competitions.
“These young women have shown that there are opportunities available and for PNGRFL we will ensure the pathways are available but more importantly visible, to ensure participation.”
Santos Cup matches will be played in Port Moresby, Lae, Rabaul, Minj and Goroka across the (five) 5 rounds.
The Santos Cup is PNG’s National Women’s Rugby League Competition was established in 2024. Seen as a development platform for women playing rugby league, the competition is part of the pathway in alignment with existing PNG NRLC pathway clubs.