Former NRL premiership winner Scott Sattler has stated that Papua New Guinea should not be granted the 18th NRL licence.
The words from Sattler come after news has continued to grow that another team will likely be introduced into the league within the next four seasons.
A team from PNG has been considered, but stronger bids from the North Sydney Bears and a Perth team have since been considerably more preferred.
“I don't think we need to give (PNG) an 18th licence,” Sattler told SENQ Breakfast.
“We definitely don't need Anthony Albanese sticking his nose in the trough.
“If he's a one-term Prime Minister and the next Prime Minister comes in and doesn't want to give money to a bid of that nature, what happens then?
“You're left carrying the bag, I think it's fraught with danger.”
Despite not wanting to give PNG an 18th licence to become the newest club in the NRL, Sattler admitted that he still wants to see the game of rugby league grow in the country.
“We can still keep taking games to PNG, what we need to do is inject millions of dollars into their pathway projects,” Sattler added.
“To be able to get not just (male) rugby league players but (to) build the female game up there, getting athletes out of there and turning them into NRL players.
“Not just rugby league players but athletes in all sports and canvassing them, then putting them into some sort of pathway to develop them into rugby league, the AFL has been doing it for years.
“We need to be doing it as (a sport) up in PNG and just keep taking NRL games up there.”