Burleigh Bears

Today the boys lost their fifth away game to the Burleigh Bears at Pizzey Park, who sit comfortably in first place with 14 points

Bears proved too tough for the defending champs, sealing the match with a 34-18 scoreline after Round 8.

The Adex Wera and Rhadley Brawa captained side locked horns with their toughest competitors yet, despite scoring their first and second through Junior Rau and Wera.

It was 12-10 at halftime.

Returning for second half, the Hunters managed another try through Butler Morris to put them ahead of the Bears.

The home side hit the front after eight minutes when quick hands allowed an unmarked Paul Wawa to dive over on the wing.

An error by the Hunters in their own half cost them.

The Bears made them pay through hooker Patrick Politoni who caught the defence napping and burrowed his way over the line to score.

Jamal Fogarty added the extras to put his side in the lead at 6-4 after 16 minutes.

The Bears further extended their lead in the 23rd minute courtesy of Matt White's barnstorming run to the try line carrying over four defenders with him.

Hunters will be taking on the defending premiers Burleigh Bears on home ground at the National Football Stadium.

This was announced by Hunters coach, Michal Marum when naming the 20 man squad this afternoon.

He added that Brandy Peter will remain in the starting line-up at lock while Nixon Put has been moved to the bench.

“Bland has also been shifted back to the wing and Stargroth to fullback. Another change is Nixon who will come off the bench. He just dropped too many balls last weekend. Nixon will still provide that power off the bench.

The Hunters were in trouble three minutes into the round eight match for the Kokoda Cup when Kurtis Rowe crossed over to score.

Keanu Te Kiri then added the two points to bring the Bears out to a 6-0 lead.

But the combination of Ase Boas and Wera put the Hunters right back in the contest, with two tries to Wera in the space of five minutes.

The first came in the 11^th minute from an inside ball to a charging Wera, and the second through a chip kick over the defence for a flying Wera to catch and score right before the dead ball line.

Marum said changes may be made before the team flies out on Saturday to Brisbane for the ANZAC round.

“I have retained the starting side that beat Redcliffe Dolphins and made some changes to the extended bench but will confirm on Friday after a couple of players undergo further medical tests.

“Burleigh Bears are the reigning premiers and we want to prepare as well as we can this week. The other added motivation is to regain the Kokoda Cup,” said Marum.

Twice Burleigh opened up a 10-point lead over the Dolphins but a try from late Redcliffe inclusion Darren Nicholls 16 minutes into the second half narrowed the margin to just four points.

The two teams were locked in a tense duel for the next 10 minutes as the Dolphins looked for the go-ahead try but it was Cullen who capped a brilliant individual display with a try in the 70th minute that would ultimately seal their second Intrust Super Cup title.

It may be revenge time for the Hunters after losing to Bears in Round 8 games.

With the home ground advantage, the PNG Hunters will be strongly tipped to record their 26th straight win at home.

The Hunters looks fully prepared to take on the competition leaders and will be taking the game as a grand final match.

Bears are currently sitting on the top of the ladder with 33 points followed by Redcliffe Dolphins with 32 points as Hunters still clinging onto third place with 30 points.

The Hunters found themselves in trouble right from the kick off when a miscommunication in their own try line forced a line dropout.

The Hunters struggled to get out of their own half and were forced to mostly defend in the opening minutes. It wasn't long before the Bears cracked open the defence to find the try line through Kurtis Rowe in the 10th minute. Jamal Fogarty added the extras to put the score out to 6-0. Fogarty increased the score to 8-0 after a dangerous tackle by Adam Korave in the Hunters half in the 17th minute.