Rugby League in PNG has received another major boost with the appointment of Tony Archer to head up their Competition Governance and Match Officials.

On the back of Joe Grima’s appointment as Head of Player Pathways and Justin Holbrook’s decision to take on the National Coaching role with the Kumuls, Archer’s appointment is another major step forward for PNG as they look to create a game-wide structure that will help them become the next team admitted to the National Rugby League.

The passion for the game in the country has again been on show in recent months, with sell-out crowds for the finals series of the Digicel Exxon Mobil Cup matches, including the Grand Final and the more recently held PM’s XIII weekend.

Archer’s background as an official is impressive. After making his National Rugby League first grade debut in 1999, Archer went on to referee 295 NRL games between 1999 and 2012, forming a reputation as one of the best referees in the game.

During his stellar career he took charge of many important matches, including six consecutive NRL Grand Finals between 2007 and 2012.

His representative career was also decorated, with Archer refereeing 13 State of Origin matches and 9 International matches, including the 2008 World Cup and 2010 Four Nations decider.

This level of consistency led to him being named International Referee of the Year in 2007, 2008 and 2010.

After retiring in 2012, Archer began his move into the coaching of officials, and in late 2013 he took over from Daniel Anderson as Referees Elite Performance Manager, which he held between 2014 and 2018. In 2017 he led the Officials for the Rugby League World Cup. Currently his role with the NRL includes Education, Development and Pathways of Officials.

Stanley Hondina, CEO PNGRFL, saw Archer’s appointment as another significant step forward for rugby league in PNG:

“Officiating and Competition Governance is an incredibly important part of the game and to have someone of Tony’s experience and expertise head up that area for PNG is tremendous news.”
“We are looking to create the best possible pathways for our players and that requires high quality officiating and professional competition governance from the grass roots all the way through to the senior level.”
“Tony has performed this role successfully with the NRL, and he will bring a wealth of knowledge and ideas that will help us create a new generation of officials for both the men’s and women’s programs going forward.”
“We look forward to Tony starting with us in the coming weeks”.

Tony Archer expressed his excitement at the opportunity to contribute to the game in PNG:

“Building the foundation in Officiating and Governance from the grass roots upwards is crucial when it comes to creating a strong pathways system in sport.”
“When it comes to being able to contribute to the game in Papua New Guinea, it is a unique and exciting opportunity to work with such passionate people who love the game of Rugby League and are so determined to see it continue to grow.”
“Speaking to those involved I know the time and effort that has gone into creating a strategic approach to building a professional structure and making sure that the development of officials and the correct competition governance sits as a high priority.”
“I can’t wait to start and to work with the next generation of officials. Having seen the steps that have been put in place in terms of pathways and coaching, I’m excited about what lies ahead for the game in PNG.”