PNG Chiefs unveil jersey that rival code wanted court to block
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PNG Chiefs officials have unveiled their logo and jersey, as the NRL expansion franchise continues to ramp up before 2028.
At a ceremony held in Port Moresby on Wednesday morning, the league’s 19th team dropped their official colours and playing kit for the inaugural campaign.
PNG Chiefs jersey and logo. SMH/PNG Chiefs
The jersey will be predominantly black, while the logo is red, white and gold.
It comes just days after the club was dragged to court in New Zealand by a Super Rugby team with the same ‘Chiefs’ name, who are based in Waikato.
NZ Rugby lost their bid to have an interim injunction placed on the Chiefs name last week, which was a major setback for the governing body given it was public knowledge the jersey launch would be taking place on Wednesday.
A full hearing of NZR’s case is still expected to take place at a later date, but the NRL club have argued it would be “next to impossible to rebrand”.
PNG’s logo was designed by a team of graphic artists from the country, while the jersey was designed by renowned local artist TABU and features cultural drawings.
A statement from the club lauded it as a “watershed occasion” for the Chiefs.
Despite not joining the NRL for another 18 months, the Chiefs have done an incredible job thus far of landing marquee talent and a quality head coach.
Willie Peters, who led Hull KR to Super League and Challenge Cup glory, will take the reins for the side’s first season, while the likes of Jarome Luai, Joseph Manu and Zac Lomax have all signed on to play for the new team.
The signing spree is expected to continue from November 1, when a truckload of players from rival NRL clubs become available on the open market.
