THE Pacific Games first test event is expected to see 15,000 PNG Hunters fans cram into the Sir John Guise Stadium on Saturday as the home side hosts the Souths Logan Magpies in a Queensland Cup Round 14 fixture.
Tickets will go on sale tomorrow, with seats for the outer stands going for K25 and K35 for the grandstand. Games Organising Committee chief executive officer Peter Stewart has urged sports fans wanting a taste of big-game atmosphere to go and watch Michael Marum’s charges notch an easy win against the Magpies, who are third-last on the ladder. Tickets will be sold at Stop n Shop outlets around Port Moresby, with interest said to be building outside of the nation’s capital as league die-hards — particularly from the Highlands region — expected to flock to the capital for the night game. Predictably, Hunters coach Marum has stuck with the side that grounded the Ipswich Jets 40-28 on Sunday and has resisted the urge to tinker with a winning formula heading into their first Port Moresby match. The only change to the side is prop Henry Wan returning to the starting slot beside fellow bookend Esau Siune, while Enoch Maki shifts back to the bench. Wan was a late scratching from Sunday’s game after failing to recover from a bout of malaria. Sebastian Pandia is the 18th man. The last time the Hunters and the Magpies met was in round one, with Marum’s charges prevailing 40-18 in Brisbane. The visitors are yet to beat the Hunters but could be a dangerous proposition for the home side, having pushed second placed-placed Wynnum Manly Seagulls all the way before losing 40-32 last Sunday. Kumuls Josh Damen and Matt Trnka have been named in the Souths Logan side, while former Canberra Raiders and Newcastle Knights hooker Travis Waddell’s battle with Hunters rake Wartovo Puara Jr will be worth the price of admission. Marum has reminded his men to maintain their focus against the Magpies and continue the form which has seen them on the verge of putting together their best-ever streak of seven wins. The Hunters sit on fourth on 20 points, with the Jets in third and Wynnum Manly on second spot. Both sides are having a bye this weekend and Marum knows the importance of continuing the momentum, logging two points and staying in the top-three. Marum said he and his staff have watched a tape on the Magpies and they have the game plan to post another convincing win in front of what is expected to be the biggest crowd they have experienced. “We’ve studied how they play, and we will do the best we can to come up with a strong game,” Marum said. Hunters captain Israel Eliab said his team was are excited at the prospect of playing in front of a big home crowd and helping to test the stadium. The Hunters fly into Port Moresby on Friday and will hold a captain’s run at the SJGS in the afternoon, with Marum saying the session would be used to get the feel of the new venue. Hunters: Stargroth Amean, Bland Abavu, Thompson Teteh, Noel Zeming, Adex Wera, Israel Eliab (c), Ase Boas, Henry Wan, Wartovo Puara Jr, Esau Siune, Kato Ottio, Lawrence Tu’u, Adam Korave; Res: Edward Goma, Willie Minoga, Enoch Maki, Timothy Lomai, Sebastian Pandia. The National Comments are closed.
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