In Papua New Guinea, rugby league occupies a place in the national soul that few institutions can rival, and now its leaders — alongside Australia — are asking whether that devotion can be converted into something more durable: jobs, infrastructure, and regional standing. The partnership reflects a growing recognition that development, when it flows through a culture's deepest enthusiasms rather than against them, may find firmer ground. What unfolds in PNG's stadiums and training grounds over the coming years will quietly answer a larger question about whether soft power and genuine human flo