Yesterday I farewelled my PNG family as they all returned home after sacrificing 7 months to relocate to Qld for the Intrust Super cup season. Throughout what was no doubt a challenging year for them all. There has been many comparisons made with the NZ Warriors or the other NRL clubs now also relocated in Qld. I understand the comparison but we are talking apples and oranges. The reality is that they aren’t comparable at all really. There is monumental differences, the culture change, the pay scale, no family and no lush hotels….. as well as many other little luxuries. SP PNG Hunters head to Maryborough on Saturday determined to again push Intrust Super Cup heavyweights Wynnum Manly Seagulls to the brink after their thrilling clash to open the season.
The Seagulls won their first nine matches in 2021, with their smallest winning margin a 20-18 victory against the Hunters in Round 1. The Seagulls have since lost their past three games while their Brisbane Broncos-contracted players have been unavailable because of the NRL’s Covid bubble. Wynnum’s recent form, and the Hunters’ memory of striking back from a 12-point deficit against them in Round 1, will give Matt Church’s outfit the confidence they are capable of an upset if they can find more consistency over 80 minutes. The PNG Hunters reached halfway of the Intrust Super Cup season knowing they can mount a run to the finals after testing the high-flying Norths Devils at Bishop Park. The final 38-22 scoreline didn’t reflect the stern test that the Hunters handed out to the second-placed Devils, who led by only four points approaching the final 20 minutes of the match. A spark from Brandon Nima, who fielded a Devils kick in his in-goal in the 11th minute, ignited the Hunters’ early run today. Nima passed in the in-goal to winger Solo Wane, who raced the length of the field for the Hunters’ first points of the day. They fell behind 20-6 after 28 minutes as the Devils flexed their muscle with Broncos NRL heavyweights Ethan Bullemor, Jordan Riki and Danny Levi joining captain Jack Ahearn in an early attacking blitz. The SP PNG Hunters finished with nine men on the field in today’s 40-12 loss to Brisbane Tigers at Bycroft Oval in one of the Intrust Super Cup’s most eventful matches in years. The Hunters controversially had three players sent to the sin-bin in the final nine minutes and second-rower Benji Kot sent off in the 57th minute after losing another to the bin for 10 minutes earlier in the half. The first to be banished was centre Brandon Nima, along with the Tigers’ Sam Lavea, in the 43rd minute. Only four minutes after the pair returned to the field Kelly was dismissed for lifting in a three-man tackle with the Tigers leading 24-12. Already down to 12 men, forward Samuel Yegip was binned for a tackle in the 73rd minute. PAPUA New Guinea-born Brisbane speedster Xavier Coates admits the appeal of being coached by Craig Bellamy looms large as he appears set to join the Red Hill exodus to link with Melbourne. The Storm and Broncos declined to comment publicly on Coates’ future yesterday after reports had emerged he would commit to a two-year deal with the premiers. Melbourne officials denied any deal had been signed with the 20-year-old, while Coates’ manager Nash Dawson said his client hasn’t “signed or agreed anywhere, or even made a decision yet”. But Brisbane players were overheard at Wednesday’s training session joking with Coates about a prospective move to Melbourne after months of conjecture over his future. Coates has ranked as one of the most in-demand players in the National Rugby League (NRL) with the Storm weighing in with a two or three-year offer for his services last month, Brisbane beefing up their own extension and the Titans also offering a three-year deal, as reported by NRL.com six weeks ago. Bellamy is still yet to decide his own future beyond this season, with another stint as Storm coach or coaching director in 2022 the most likely scenario, followed by a step back from the NRL altogether. |
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2022 Results, Draw and Ladder
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Round 1 SP PNG Hunters 16 Mackay Cutters 10 Round 1 Mackay Cutters vs SP PNG Hunters ISC Ladder after Round 6DisclaimerThis is NOT the Hunters Official website and we do not represent them.
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