Michael Cheika will return to rugby union next year after signing with the Waratahs, but fans believe his work with Lebanon shows he could coach in the NRL.
Lebanon lost 36-0 to Tonga at the Rugby League World Cup, yet showed marked improvement after a 42-18 defeat by Papua New Guinea.
Tonga remained unbeaten in the tournament despite missing playmaker Isaiya Katoa, while Lebanon defended strongly for much of the match.
Cheika, who was an assistant under Trent Robinson when the Roosters won this season's NRL premiership, said he was proud of Lebanon despite their lack of preparation and failure to score.
"I don't want to be a gallant loser but at the end of the day, that's what we are," Cheika said. "I didn't want it to finish with that scoreline, I thought we merited better, but fatigue played as a factor at the end.
"I'm super proud of the boys. I don't say that lightly. Some of them are part-time footballers and they handled those conditions pretty well across the board."
Cheika also said Lebanon had played together only once since 2022 and needed more international matches.
"We had 12 debutants last week. We just need more footy," he said. "We tried to get a warm-up game here, we weren't allowed by, I don't know who it was the RLPA or IRL, I don't know. We need to have a warm-up game to prepare and start to get ready. It's not easy for us."
Fans agreed that Tier 3 nations need more game time, and Lebanon have one pool match left against France. Cheika will seek to end his current rugby league coaching stint with a win.