Inaugural PNG Chiefs coach Willie Peters is eager to have conversations with superstar Kangaroos trio Nathan Cleary, Isaah Yeo and Cameron Munster should they remain free agents by November 1.
Peters has also revealed he will call Wayne Bennett to seek advice on how to get the best out of an NRL start-up franchise, and says he dreams the Chiefs team will one day be comprised entirely of local players.
Speaking for the first time since being appointed as head coach of the NRL’s newest franchise, Peters, 47, acknowledged one of the biggest questions surrounding the Chiefs ahead of their entry into the NRL in 2028 was which big-name star was at the top of their recruitment hit-list.
Penrith co-captains Yeo and Cleary and Storm and Queensland playmaker Munster are all off contract at the end of 2027 and are possible marquee players the Chiefs could build their franchise around.
“I have to be mindful not to talk too much around recruitment now that they are contracted to other clubs,” Peters said on Monday.
“I spent time with them [Yeo and Cleary] in the Ashes with the Kangaroos, and they were exceptional. I don’t want to talk specifically about those two players, but more in general around the mentality of the players we want. We want guys always seeking to be a better player, and to want to be a leader and those type of things.
“At the right time, if players want to talk to the Chiefs, then I’m sure [football manager] Michael Chammas will be on the phone.”
Pressed on chasing a player like Munster, Peters said: “I spent time with Cam in the Kangaroos. He’s a character. [But again] I’m mindful of what I can and can’t say.
“For any player, they need to want to talk to us. They will be bringing their family over and that’s what we need – players who embrace this unique opportunity. We’re well aware of the calibre of players who are free to talk on November 1, but we can’t speculate yet.”
The Chiefs will have the advantage of heavy tax concessions when it comes to recruitment. But Peters said players would not get the most out of the experience if they moved to PNG purely for the money.
“If we are getting people over for the wrong reasons, they won’t enjoy themselves, and it will be tough going because it’s a different environment,” Peters said.
“I lived on the Sunshine Coast when I was in the bubble [with the Knights during COVID], and there were a few teams up there. I admired the way Penrith went about their business in terms of their connection. They were the most connected team in that bubble – and they won the competition that year.
“I value connection and care, two strong values that I hold high in terms of what I’m looking for in players and people involved.
“If you won’t be all-in in terms of going over for the right reasons, that’s up to us to look at all that before making the final decision.
“If they come for the right reasons … we’ll have the time of our lives. It will be a memory for life, and that’s what I aim to create.”
PNG Chiefs coach Willie Peters
“As I said, if people come over for the wrong reasons, it won’t be an enjoyable experience. But if they come for the right reasons, and they want to help impact the country in a positive way – and have a successful footy team – we’ll have the time of our lives. It will be a memory for life, and that’s what I aim to create.”
Peters will try to steer Hull KR to a second successive Super League title this year before returning home to spend time in Sydney and PNG preparing for the Chiefs’ 2028 arrival. Chammas has already been on the ground working, while the club have also signed Liam Ayoub from Canterbury as their recruitment chief.
Peters will lean on people like Bennett, who was the inaugural Dolphins coach when they entered the competition in 2023.
“I’ll certainly be picking the phone up and talking to Wayne and picking his brain,” Peters said. “I would be mad if I didn’t.”
Rugby league is the national sport in Papua New Guinea, and it is important no talented youngster slipped through the system, Peters said.
While players with NRL experience would be required in the early years, Peters’ dream scenario would be to have a Chiefs team filled with local juniors.
“There are players over there that don’t get seen, and our job now is to make sure that we’re getting the eyes on every young Papua New Guinean player over there to give them a pathway to play for the Chiefs,” Peters said.
“Essentially, you want to have the majority of the team eventually born and bred in Papua New Guinea. That’s the ideal way to do things, and how we want to do things eventually.
“Year one, I’m not going come out and make statements of where we’re going to be – we haven’t signed a player yet – but I’ll guarantee you that we’re going to be competitive.”
