PNG Kumuls

The Bati's stature in international rugby league is one of the largest growing and it has materialised once again for this weekend's test against Papua New Guinea at Pirtek Stadium.

Fiji were a shining light in both the 2008 and 2013 World Cups after finishing fourth on each occasion and those experiences have helped cultivate a real family feel among coach Mick Potter's squad.

What hasn't quite been revealed in the two years since the last World Cup however is the huge influence the Fijian locals have had on this budding Bati culture.

Zeming said he was disappointed that he was not included in the team but remains positive and focused on the Hunters season.

He said preparation for the Round 9 match against Redcliffe Dolphins on the weekend was tough after the Kumuls side was named last week with most Hunters included in the side.

“It was important that we focused and concentrated on the game as we have a long season ahead and the Test match for the Kumuls is a one-off game.

The Hunters suffered just their second defeat of the season last weekend away to the Burleigh Bears to slip to third in the overall standings.

Michael Marum said the team just didn't turn up and have worked hard on addressing their errors at training.

He's asking for one more big performance at home against the second-placed Dolphins before the team gets a week off.

PNG Hunters mentor Michael Marum was appointed interim Kumuls coach in February and a strong performance next month should confirm his position through to next year's World Cup.

PNGRFL Chief Executive Officer, Bob Cutmore, expects the team to have a strong local flavour, supplemented by a few players in the NRL and feeder competitions.

"We've actually named a squad of 30 players but we haven't finalised it yet...but Michael will sit down with the national selectors and try to sort that out in the next week."

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It is the worst it has been for the code which is considered the national sport in the country.

PNG, which was usually in the top five in past years, has dropped out of sight and now sits at number 14, plunging three place from 11^th spot out of 35 countries in the new  RLIF World Rankings issued recently.