SP PNG Hunters veteran winger Brandon Nima is now at the prime of his career playing his 5th season at the Queensland Rugby League competition this year, since his debut in 2019.
The 27 year old from Gumine in Simbu Province, has made 77 appearances for the Hunters, scored 31 tries (132pts) this year alone.
Nima has racked up 436 total running metres, averaging 109 running metres per game, a great testament to his work ethics and commitment to becoming a leader and role model for the next crop of Hunters players.
Nima’s early season impressive form in 2024 has set a strong platform for a breakout season, given the Hunters have remained down in the cellar of the Queensland Cup table, since they last played finals footy after their historic 2017 grand final glory.
Having started off as a centre three-quarter, Nima now finds himself on the wing and has made it his own after making the necessary adjustment under former coach Stanley Tepend last year. Scoring four tries during the opening rounds of the 2024 season, this epitomizes Nima’s character and wiliness to continue to work hard and maintain some consistency in his game. Nima would also give credit to playmates around him who make him look good on the wing.
“I’ve tried my best to get familiar playing on the edge and I think it’s all good now,” he said.
“I’ve put in a lot of work during preseason, doing a lot of practice on the wing and positional play and it’s paid off because I’ve scored a number of tries in the first three rounds this season.
“I give credit to boys in the middle ( forwards). They lay the platform and I just do my job on the wing.”
Nima also plays the role of co-captain given his good leadership quality and experience to mentoring young boys.
“I’ve been in the team for 5 years now. What I do on the field, that’s who I am trying to lead by example. There’s a lot of young new players who are making (the) transition to Hunters and I try to be a role model to them. I try to help in whatever way I can,” he said.