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As a Papua New Guinea team prepares to enter the NRL, AAP breaks down the country's five greatest players.
PNG'S FIVE GREATEST RUGBY LEAGUE PLAYERS:
MARCUS BAI
The Melbourne Storm's original cult hero, the first of the enduringly successful club's many superstars from the Pacific. After a season with Gold Coast, Bai moved to the Storm in 1998 and immediately thrived. He won Dally M Winger Of The Year that year and went on to play in the Storm's 1999 grand-final defeat of St George Illawarra - one of the NRL era's most memorable deciders and to date the most-attended rugby league game in Australian history. He was a member of PNG's first World Cup quarter-final appearance in 2000 and finished his career in England, where he won the 2004 Super League grand final with Leeds.
JUSTIN OLAM
Olam, who grew up playing rugby league with a sand-filled water bottle in a remote PNG village, became the first player to progress from the Queensland Cup's PNG Hunters to the NRL. At his peak, Olam was the most devastating and physical player in the NRL, feared by opposition defences for what he could do on an edge. He won the 2020 NRL premiership with the Storm, scoring the first try in the victory over Penrith - a win that has looked all the remarkable before the four Panthers premierships that have since ensued. Injury curtailed Olam's first season at Wests Tigers in 2024 but the 2021 Dally M Centre of the Year remains PNG's most prized active home-grown talent.
ADRIAN LAM
Under Lam's captaincy, PNG in 2000 made a historic World Cup quarter-final - a first for any of the country's national sporting teams. Lam was Queensland's halfback in the 1995 State of Origin series - a clean sweep for the Maroons - and would go on to become the first and only PNG international to captain his state in State of Origin. He led the Maroons eight times across 14 Origin appearances. After 146 games for the Sydney Roosters, Lam finished his playing career in England, where he has since forged a successful coaching career. Lam holds a 66 per cent winning record across 181 games as head coach in the league and last year his Leigh Leopards won their first Challenge Cup since 1971.
ALEX JOHNSTON
Sydney-born Johnston is destined for the history books on the back of his tryscoring feats; the South Sydney winger has bagged 195 four-pointers in his career - the second-most of any player in Australian history. Still only 29, he's on track to pass the great Ken Irvine's mark of 212 if he can bounce back from the Achilles tendon injury he suffered last season. Johnston is also notable as the last player from the Rabbitohs' drought-breaking 2014 premiership win to remain at the club for the 2025 season. Johnston's PNG heritage on his mother's side has made him eligible for the Kumuls, whom he has represented 10 times, including at the most recent Rugby League World Cup in 2022.
STANLEY GENE
A stout and powerful utility, Gene spent his entire professional career in England. He was scouted to play for Hull KR in the first Super League season while representing the Kumuls at the 1995 World Cup. He went on to play 14 seasons in the competition, becoming known for his reliable and physical defence, but also his explosive ball-running. Gene scored two tries to help the Kumuls defeat Tonga and finish top of their pool at the 2000 World Cup. He has most recently served as an assistant coach at Hull FC, one of the clubs he represented as a player.