The PNG Chiefs have secured Joseph Manu on a two-year deal, adding another premiership winner to their increasingly intimidating inaugural NRL roster.
Manu has officially committed to the Chiefs for the 2028 and 2029 NRL seasons, ending months of speculation surrounding the identity of the expansion club’s mysterious Player No.007.
The 30-year-old is currently playing rugby union with French club Racing 92 but will return to rugby league when Papua New Guinea enters the NRL in 2028.
Importantly, the signing is for the Chiefs’ inaugural 2028 season rather than 2026, as suggested in some coverage surrounding the announcement.
Manu Becomes PNG’s Seventh Signing
The NRL officially confirmed Manu’s two-year agreement alongside a recruitment record that demonstrates why the Chiefs should no longer be treated like an ordinary expansion team.
Manu joins:
- Jarome Luai
- Alex Johnston
- Connor Watson
- Matty Lees
- Zac Lomax
- Brian To’o
That collection already gives the Chiefs four-time premiership winner Luai, three-time champion To’o, two-time winner Manu and another experienced Roosters premiership player in Watson.
Manu has reportedly been recruited primarily as a centre, although his ability to play fullback or five-eighth gives coach Willie Peters valuable flexibility when constructing the remainder of his spine.
“He Can Change a Game in a Single Moment”
Chiefs general manager of football Michael Chammas believes Manu possesses the versatility and attacking quality required to become one of the new club’s most important players.
“He is a world-class footballer with versatility across several positions and can change a game in a single moment,” Chammas said.
Chiefs chief executive Lorna McPherson also described the signing as another demonstration of the club’s ambition to make an immediate impact for Papua New Guinea.
“His connection to the Pacific, his character, experience and standing in the game will have a profound impact on our club,” McPherson said, as reported by News.com.au.
Born in New Zealand and of Māori and Cook Islands descent, Manu adds another strong Pacific connection to a squad the Chiefs want to represent more than Papua New Guinea alone.
Proven Success at the Highest Level
Manu played 181 NRL matches and scored 69 tries during his Sydney Roosters career after making his first-grade debut in 2016.
He was an important member of the Roosters teams that won consecutive premierships in 2018 and 2019, while his ability to produce extraordinary performances for New Zealand earned him the 2022 International Rugby League Golden Boot.
Manu has played 17 Tests for the Kiwis and was widely regarded as one of rugby league’s best outside backs before leaving the Roosters at the end of 2024.
He initially joined Toyota Verblitz in Japan before moving to Racing 92 in France, but his agreement with the Chiefs confirms his eventual return to the 13-player code.
The Sporting Base reported Manu’s meeting with PNG officials before the deal was completed, with the former Rooster visiting the country alongside his family.
That visit appears to have played an important role in convincing him to become part of the expansion project.
PNG Is Building More Than a Competitive Team
Expansion clubs are usually forced to build around unwanted veterans, emerging prospects and players searching for greater opportunities.
The Chiefs are following a very different formula.
Luai will control the team at five-eighth, while Manu, Lomax, To’o and Johnston give PNG an outside-back group with elite finishing ability, versatility and extensive representative experience.
Watson supplies premiership experience and positional flexibility, while England international Lees provides an early foundation for the forward pack.
There are still major vacancies at halfback, fullback and throughout the forwards, but the Chiefs have almost four years of collective premiership-winning experience already committed to the club.
Their recruitment campaign is also far from finished.
PNG has been linked with elite playmakers Nathan Cleary and Sam Walker, while Canberra back-rower Hudson Young could become another major target as the Chiefs continue building towards 2028.
Manu may not have been the superstar halfback some supporters expected to be unveiled as “Chief 007”, but he is hardly a consolation prize.
The former Golden Boot winner is a proven match-winner who can fill several crucial positions and understands exactly what a premiership-winning environment requires.
PNG is no longer simply assembling an expansion roster. It is building a team capable of frightening established NRL clubs from its opening season.
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