Papua New Guinea Prime Minister Peter O'Neill will add his weight to the push to have Papua New Guinea share the hosting rights for the 2017 World Cup with Australia and New Zealand.
The Rugby League International Federation has assigned the trans-Tasman neighbours the job of organising the world championships for 14 countries, over a bid by South Africa.
But O'Neill was in the stands of the four-month old Sir John Guise Stadium on Saturday night with 18,113 of his countrymen to watch the 11th edition of the annual match between PNG and the Australian PM's XIII. The visitors won 40-12. 
"You can see our people love the game and we hope the NRL will come up here and expose the game to our people a bit more," O'Neill told The Australian.
"We've asked to join the hosting of the World Cup here in Papua New Guinea. "We're hoping the RLIF will accept our offer. We want to open our door wider to rugby league." It is understood PNG has asked to host all three Test matches in its pool, when the Cup draw is made in mid-2017. There are still seven countries to qualify.
"We have a team in the Queensland Cup (PNG Hunters) at present and we're developing our local competition. Rugby league has a big future in this country," O'Neill said.
"We have a population of eight million people. And I don't think you'd find one that does not love rugby league." O'Neill said the Sir John Guise Stadium, which was built specifically for the Pacific Games hosted by PNG in   July, could be expanded from its present 15,000 official capacity to 25,000.
The extra 3000 that squeezed in around the stand-only concourse areas on Saturday night further strengthened the pull of league in PNG. Sports Minister Justin Tkatchenko said the venue was one of three new stadiums on the construction timetable.
"They will revolutionise sport in this country," he said.
"We've never had this kind of infrastructure before in our country. It's something that has allowed us to have our own Suncorp Stadium right here in Port Moresby." FIFA has awarded the Under-20 women's World Cup in 2016 to PNG and will use the stad-ium for matches.
Tkatchenko said the three stadiums would be placed under proper management, similar to the SCG Trust in Sydney.
"It's a big job," Tkatchenko said. "We don't want them all to be big white elephants and rot away like previously.
"We've set up a legacy trust with a board of management to maintain all these facilities." One player who would love to come back and play in PNG again is PM's XIII captain Trent Merrin.
"The way they welcomed us and cheered us, each player in the Aussie team, is something we'll cherish forever," the Test and Origin backrower said.
"It's very humbling to be here and get among the people and see how they appreciate rugby league." One fan in particular is probably still boasting about his meeting with Merrin. He offered the skipper a tribal headband and, in return, Merrin gave the young man his playing boots.The fan cried tears of joy and jumped into Merrin's arms after the gesture.