Michael Chammas: Building the NRL's PNG Team, Leaving Journalism & Taking Opportunities
6/10/20261 hr 7 min
Michael Chammas is the general manager of rugby league's newest expansion team, the PNG Chiefs, in what could be the NRL's most ambitious venture ever.
The former Sydney Morning Herald journalist traded his media career for the challenge of building Papua New Guinea's first NRL club from the ground up.
Chammas reveals the complex recruitment strategies needed to convince players to relocate their families to PNG, the cultural significance of rugby league to the Pacific nation, and why the tax-free incentives are essential for success.
He discusses his transition from breaking stories to making them, the logistical challenges of establishing pathways in a country with 850 languages and 1,000 tribes, and why this team represents more than just rugby league.
- Why Michael left his dream journalism job for an even bigger dream
- The family considerations behind relocating to Papua New Guinea
- How Jerome Luai's signing changed everything for the Chiefs
- The reality of living in the Airways resort compound
- Building rugby league pathways in a developing nation
- The tax-free salary cap debate and why it's necessary
- Papua New Guinea's passion for rugby league as its national sport
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Transcript preview
First 90 secondsMark Bouris· Host0:00
Michael Chammus, welcome to Straight Talk, mate Thanks, Mark.
Michael Chammas· Guest0:02
Appreciate you having me.
Mark Bouris· Host0:02
We're here to talk about your dream job. Is this your dream job? [laughs] Your... Not, not being here, but your dream job.
Michael Chammas· Guest0:07
Yeah, this is, this is the dream.
Mark Bouris· Host0:08
The general manager of the PNG Chiefs. Is that your dream job, a rugby league general manager of a club?
Michael Chammas· Guest0:13
Well- A new club? Yeah, everyone keeps telling me, "Well, you're playing real-life Super Coach. You think that's a, that's a, that's a job." But it i- like, it's been unbelievable. I've been doing it now two months. I thought, to be honest, I thought what I was doing was my dream job, and I loved every minute of it as a media- As a journalist? Yeah, as a journalist. But yeah, so far, so good. But come back to me after a losing game. I might not feel the same.
Mark Bouris· Host0:34
[laughs] Mate, man, it's a bit like coaching. Like it c- it's probably the best job, probably the worst job too. And now let's get into it a little bit. Like, um, uh, you mentioned bef- as you were coming in that, uh, you've just come back.
Michael Chammas· Guest0:44
Yeah.
Mark Bouris· Host0:45
You took your, uh, wife and... Did the whole family or just your wife?
Michael Chammas· Guest0:47
Yeah, it's, my wife had been for a... We went, before I made the decision to go, I took my wife over.
Mark Bouris· Host0:51
Yep.
Michael Chammas· Guest0:51
But this was our first trip as a family, so I took my three kids, and my wife's pregnant. We got number four on the way.
Mark Bouris· Host0:56
Oh, wow.
Michael Chammas· Guest0:56
So yeah, it's, uh, it's a bit of- You're a good wog boy, mate [laughs] It's a bit of- Plenty of kids ... exa- Correct. Correct. Correct.
Mark Bouris· Host1:01
Like me.
Michael Chammas· Guest1:01
So, like, for me, I just wanted to see them be happy and, uh, it's a big move for them, you know. Like, when I made the decision to take three kids. They're 10, 8 and 6. Um, it's a big call, but to see them, there was a special moment, Mark. We went in the afternoon down to Ella Beach, it's the local beach there in Port Moresby. We had some former players with us, Willie Mason and James Graham, Justin Horo. But to see them walk onto the beach, and all these kids, they just, they just