​SP PNG Hunters have re-appointed Matt Church as coach for the 2022 Intrust Super Cup season.

The Hunters board voted unanimously for Church to remain at the helm for next season after he steered the team through the challenges of 2021 when it was forced to relocate to southeast Queensland due to Covid travel restrictions.

The Hunters have confirmed that the team will return to Queensland throughout 2022 due to the ongoing international Covid travel challenges.

“We are delighted to reappoint Matt Church given how he and his staff handled a difficult year,” Hunters Chairman Mr Stan Joyce CSM said.

“The Hunters played extremely well in parts of this season and we know what the team is capable of with the 2021 experience under their belts. Matt is a high-quality coach and he has put in place the building blocks for an exciting 2022.”

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 Papua New Guinea Kumuls and Orchids are not going to this year’s England Rugby League World Cup “just to make up the numbers”, says an official.
“We’re going there to compete and win,” PNG Rugby League Football chairman Sandis Tsaka said on Thursday following confirmation that the showpiece event would go ahead as scheduled despite Covid-19.“The Kumuls (men) are ranked sixth in the world.
“We had the privilege of hosting some 2017 World Cup matches at the Oil Search National Football Stadium and the Kumuls reached the quarterfinals.
“This time, we want to finish better.”

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.