Random PNG fun facts: their most watched sporting event is State of Origin, a rugby league competition between two Australian states, over which many people have died in PNG. Australia recently allowed them a team in the NRL, its premier rugby league competition, essentially in exchange for PNG not signing a security agreement with China like the Solomon Islands did.
This does not make sense I love it. Why State of Origin and not just simply the NRL?
It's safe to say they're both highly watched in PNG, Origin is just more of an event (a three game series, compared to the NRL which is a full season + playoffs). It's the same two sides every game, you're maroon or you're blue. Meanwhile there's 17 clubs in the NRL, I assume people from abroad pick one arbitrarily, of which only two clubs are going to make the grand final every year.
The origin teams are comprised of the all the best players in the league across clubs so they’re like dream teams.
Maybe because State of Origin is the 'tribal' grudge match series, players are only ever eligible for the one team.
Some players do manage to be eligible for both, you just can't swap once you've decided