ARL chairman Peter V'landys says Papua New Guinea is not guaranteed to be part of the NRL's future, with the league boss declaring a team must be based in PNG for it to be successful.
Speaking in Brisbane to announce an extension with Brisbane as host city of the code's Magic Round until 2027, V'landys said he will meet government officials on Friday about commercial issues related to a potential PNG bid.
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The federal government has been vocal about its support for a team in PNG, however, V'landys said it's "no done deal" despite reports claiming it is the front-runner ahead of Perth, Brisbane and Christchurch.
"We're very early in negotiations with government. There's still a long way to go. And there's some very good bidders. It's far from a final decision," he said.
"All the bids are fantastic, it goes to show you how the game is going at the moment. The premier of Perth, I'm taking out an AVO on him," he added jokingly. "He rings me every day asking about a Perth team.
"There's no more passionate supporter than the Premier of Western Australia. Their bid is looking very, very good and maybe PNG isn't the one that's first."
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