SP PNG Hunters

The Hunters enjoyed an excellent start, getting through their opening set before strong contact in defence forced the Cutters into an error with their first possession. Starting props Casey Dickson and Sylvester Namo consistently bent the line with their carries to open the game and Mackay had no answer. Left-edge backrower Benji Kot came awfully close to crashing over the line after collecting a late offload before the Hunters forced yet another error in Mackay’s half.

The Hunters wrapped up a grueling preseason with a promising trial win over the West Brisbane Panthers A-grade side last week.

The Mackay Cutters went down 22-18 to the CQ Capras in their preseason trial game and were midway through a match against the NQ Cowboys Young Guns before extreme weather saw the game called off.

The last time these two sides met was in Round 12 last year when Mackey narrowly beat the Hunters 40-30 in a high scoring contest. The Hunters flew out to an early lead in that game but could not hold off a fast-finishing Cutters outfit.

Yesterday, 15^th of March, BSP Group CEO Robin Fleming announced their K150,000 support to help the team continue their hunt for the top spots in this year’s Hostplus Cup and make PNG proud

BSP Group CEO Robin Fleming and SP PNG Hunters Commercial Manager Alan Moramoro formalized the sponsorship deal in a joint media conference held at the NFS yesterday.

Fleming said BSP Financial Group said they are proud  to rally behind the SP PNG Hunters 2022 season in the Queensland Hotplus Cup with K150,000 sponsorship.

The Hunters used a 21-man squad for Saturday night’s game as they look to confirm team selections and build on combinations ahead of the Hostplus Cup regular season.

The Hunters were tested from the opening set when lock-forward and captain, Ila Alu, left the field with a shoulder injury and forced the Hunters into a reshuffle.

They entered the sheds at halftime down 10-0 but there were positives to come with the Hunters matching their opponents in the second half to finish the game 20-10.

The PNG Barramundis (Cricket) and PNG Hunters (Rugby League) have currently been living and training together at the “Gold Coast Sport High Performance Centre” at Runaway Bay. The Australian High Commission Papua New Guinea supports both teams.

Both sporting teams and organisations continue to represent PNG with immense pride and class. The Barramundis and the SP PNG Hunters were all smiles despite the rain in a combined session last week. 

Runaway Bay’s Bycroft Oval will celebrate Melanesian and Indigenous culture with the game to also provide an opportunity for the rugby league community to raise funds and awareness for Tonga Recovery Appeal.
Hunters coach, Matt Church and Silktails coach, Wes Naiqama have both named strong squads for Saturday's game.

The match will kick-off at 4.30pm on Saturday and televised live on Digicel TV Event Channel.
 

The match will be the curtain raiser to the North Queensland Cowboys vs Brisbane Broncos NRL trial. 

Hunters’ assistant coach Stanley Tepend will also spend the early part of the week in the NQ Young Guns camp as part of his ongoing professional development. 

The trial match is an important part of pre-season preparation for both teams’ thanks to support from Department of Foreign Affairs & International Trade (DFAIT), and the Australian Government’s Pacific-Aus Sports program.

It is also an opportunity for two proud cultures to unite in support of fellow Pacific nation Tonga.

Proceeds from the Melanesian Bowl will go towards the disaster relief efforts in Tonga as the country recovers from the January natural disaster.

The match has been scheduled for February 26 at Bycroft oval in Gold Coast.

The Silktails squad is now counting down to the big pre-season clash against their Melanesian rivals, the PNG Hunters, with the two sides set to meet for the first time.

The trial was initially planned for 2021, however due to COVID-19 restrictions the match was cancelled.

The Silktails will start their second season in the NSW Ron Massey Cup competition and currently on pre-season tour to the Gold Coast and supported by the City of Gold Coast under Sports Attraction Program.

While many pre-season games provide a well-worn opportunity for players and coaches to work on combinations, this game will be anything but a standard trial match for the respective teams.

Instead, the February 26 match at Runaway Bay’s Bycroft Oval will celebrate Melanesian and Indigenous culture, as communities come together through their shared love of rugby league.