Michael Chammas has been named general manager of the Papua New Guinea Chiefs, a new NRL franchise.
He has boldly predicted the team will be contending for finals in their first season.
The Chiefs are scheduled to join the NRL in 2028 and they intend to start strongly.
An arrangement with the PNG government will allow players who relocate to the country to be paid tax-free.
The policy is aimed at encouraging athletes based in Australia and New Zealand to move to PNG.
Chammas told the Daily Telegraph he wants the club prepared and competitive by September.
The plan is to combine local Papua New Guinean talent with a handful of established names to boost the squad.
With roughly two years to assemble the roster, recruitment and development will be urgent priorities.
"We want to build a team that's going to be competitive from the start," Chammas said.
"We come in in 2028, so we've got 18 months, two years, to build a competitive roster.
"We want to have a lot of local flavour in the football team.
And we want to have some big-name players as well to add to that.
"There's a lot of work to do.
I think there's 750 days until the first game.
"We'll build a very competitive team from the start.