Three Papua New Guinea players whose ill-discipline cost many of their teammates a week or two's worth of wages will be out to redeem themselves during the Four Nations series which starts this weekend.

The players can't be named for the sake of team harmony, but their wayward actions prior to the 24-man Kumuls squad leaving PNG resulted in them and their teammates being hit with fines.

Their crime - a few beers and missing curfew.

They were reprimanded but not dropped because it would have hurt the group's spirit.

Instead they were fined $100 each.

"The players were fined, then the entire team was fined even though the entire team had not made a mistake," said PNGRL president Gary Juffa.

"The whole team must know if any member fails, the entire team suffers some penalty.

"The three players know they owe the team.

"Their fines were significant - that's about a week or two weeks wages for one night of indiscretion.

"They didn't fight, they didn't do anything silly. They consumed some alcohol and missed their curfew but we want to demonstrate we are serious."

Juffa said the players had to adhere strictly to an old cultural custom known as "hausman" once they entered camp.

That means a dry camp - no alcohol, no drugs and no breaking curfew.

"We signed an official code of conduct in Papua New Guinea and we also signed one here for the rugby league International Federaration," Juffa said.

"The hausman rules and principles are quite simple, respect, honour and discipline.

"Those are the three pillars of the hausman system and we want to demonstrate our intention to maintain them and continue to use those principles in the new focus on rugby league.

"Back home rugby league players are not just rugby league players, they're leaders.

"They're expected to behave in a certain way because the community looks up to them, children look up to them so it's of the utmost importance they behave as leaders 24 hours, seven days a week, every week of the year."

He said there were times players could relax and have fun and every now and then there may be a lapse in discipline.

"It's normal. They are cautioned and counselled and become a better, more disciplined person," he said.

Juffa said the players had behaved perfectly in Australia, respecting their hosts and enjoying a dry camp.

"They can go out after they ask permission but they must return by a certain time and we do a head count and if they are late they are fined," he said.

The Kumuls will be respectful when they face Australian in the opening Four Nations game at Parramatta Stadium on Sunday but Juffa says they won't be overawed or intimidated by their idols.

"They reliase this is an opportunity for them to do their country and their people proud and they will play that way against all the other teams," he said.

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