PNG Hunters

[mikail-eagle]

Round 11 Highlights.

Townsville Blackhawks vs PNG Hunters.

http://www.qrl.com.au/news/2015/05/25/highlights_rd11_blac.html

 

[mikail-eagle]

http://news.pngfacts.com/2015/05/png-hunters-match-to-test-pacific-games.html

PNG HUNTERS MATCH TO TEST PACIFIC GAMES VENUE

28 May 2015

The Intrust Super Cup round 14 match between PNG Hunters and Souths Logan Magpies on June 14 will be played at Pacific Games Venue (Sir John Guise Stadium) in Port Moresby. The match is scheduled to test the venue before the Pacific Games begin in July.

A large crowd well over 20,000 is expected to watch this game.

The Hunters are on high flying note after their consecutive five wins in a row. In last week's game, they held off the competition leaders Mendi Townsville Blackhawks by beating them 22 - 16 .
They have a bye this week and will take on second placed Ipswich Jets in round 13 at the Kalabond oval next week.

In round 14, the Hunters will host Souths Logan Magpies at Sir John Guise Stadium in Port Moresby.

 

[jim_57]

Is anyone else a little underwhelmed by the lack of Hunters players being signed by NRL clubs?

This is a team of the nation's best sitting at the top end of the ladder alongside teams scattered with NRL experience. I would have hoped 5+ would be snapped up each year by NRL or SL clubs and be replaced with the best juniors, repeat that cycle for 5-10 years and you have a solid core of PNG NRL players which would benifit the National team and international Rugby League immensely.

 

[The Partisan]

Now you mention it.....yeah !

First thought was that the Gary Lo hiccup might put off a few clubs but then again PNG boys before him have well and truly made their mark on both sides of the equator.

And yes as you say a squad of home grown born and bred players drawn mostly from NRL / ESL would mean a very strong team.

Win the ISC and play on NRL GF would be a big boost for their chances ;-)

 

[East Coast Tiger]

NRL clubs are obsessed with Polynesians and Fijians are the flavour of the month. But PNG players are generally a different shape and play differently. Quite frankly they're better footballers, but good footballers have no place in the NRL these days. Plus NRL clubs are still ignorant to the possibility that a player from outside the NRL structure can be more than capable of being a top class player.

 

[Sydney Knight]

Surely that stadium could host a NRL game in the next couple of years? I'd imagine there would be some good financial incentives on offer from the PNG govt and possibly some of the resource companies.

 

[XXXX Cap]

Is anyone else a little underwhelmed by the lack of Hunters players being signed by NRL clubs?

This is a team of the nation's best sitting at the top end of the ladder alongside teams scattered with NRL experience. I would have hoped 5+ would be snapped up each year by NRL or SL clubs and be replaced with the best juniors, repeat that cycle for 5-10 years and you have a solid core of PNG NRL players which would benifit the National team and international Rugby League immensely.

I love the Queensland Cup but the bottom line is that almost all players in it are there because they are too small/too slow/not good enough for NRL level. Wynnum has been a semi-final team for the past five years but really would only have a couple of players who could possibly make it at NRL.

PNG have done very well but they are still only a Queensland Cup level team and it is ambitious to think any more than the odd player could make the step up.

 

[jim_57]

I love the Queensland Cup but the bottom line is that almost all players in it are there because they are too small/too slow/not good enough for NRL level. Wynnum has been a semi-final team for the past five years but really would only have a couple of players who could possibly make it at NRL.

PNG have done very well but they are still only a Queensland Cup level team and it is ambitious to think any more than the odd player could make the step up.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not expecting a couple of superstars every year but there should be a few worthy of being signed by NRL clubs. The fact not one player is linked to an NRL team whilst all other teams have at least a few seems to suggest that the Hunters would have a few players worthy of a punt for an NRL club.

The QLD Cup is the 2nd best comp in Australia, so why is a team coming equal second not having players signed to NRL contracts?

A lot of people like to complain lack of depth of talent. Maybe the complaining should be directed towards lack of talent identification. PNG is a country of 6? Million with Rugby League as a national sport. Yet their representation in the NRL is almost 0.

 

[mikail-eagle]

From the Original Hunters Team that was announced to start the campaign last year (2014), 3 players moved to NRL Clubs.

1. Wellington Albert (Prop/Wing)
Moved to the Penrith Panthers 2 months before the season kicked off.
Got injured playing in the Panthers NYC Team and missed half the season. Fully recovered this year and is playing NSW Cup for the Panthers.

2. Mark Mexico (Prop)
Left the Hunters after the 1st round last year to join the Cronulla Sharks. Played in the Sharks NSW Cup Team for most of the season but badly injured his knees towards the end of the season. Was released by the Sharks and got recruited by Stanley Gene to join Englands League 1 outfit Newcastle Thunder.

3. Stanton Albert (Prop)
Younger brother of Wellington. Signed by the Panthers in January 2015. Started the season in the Ron Massey Cup for Windsor Volves. After a few games he was called to play in the Panthers NYC Team. Last week he played in the Panthers NSW Cup Team for the first time alongside brother Wellington and has been named to play NSW Cup again this weekend.

 

[mikail-eagle]

Also Hooker Wartovo Puara and Centre Thompson Teteh had a train and trial with the South Sydney Rabbitiohs for 6 weeks during the pre-season this year before rejoining the Hunters a week before the ISC Season kicked off.

The other 2 players that have left the Hunters this year are five-eight Dion Aiye who left for Whitehaven in England and Centre Jason Tali who also joined Newcastle Thunder.

 

[jim_57]

Wasn't Wellington Albert signed before the Hunters came in on the back of his form in the 2013 World Cup?

So only really Stanton Albert has made the "step up" to an NRL club and he is yet to play first grade. Players signing for 2nd division English clubs I would consider a sideways move, not forward progress.

Sometimes it seems to take one or two successes before NRL clubs take notice. Take Fiji for example, Fiji now seems to be this untapped holy grail of players just because I couple Fijian players got the shot and made other clubs sit up and take notice. Hell even English players were a rare breed until Ellis and Burgess sparked a trend.

 

[XXXX Cap]

The trouble with players going to NRL clubs and not quite making it (as do the majority who have an NRL club "contract" at any one time) is that they are lost to their original home team.

Country towns lose young blokes every year going to live the dream of being an NRL player. When they don't quite get there, they don't go back home and play there - they end up somewhere else at some level below NRL.

Same thing would happen to PNG, for the one in every 20 who might make it, you would lose 19 from the PNG system.

 

[jim_57]

The trouble with players going to NRL clubs and not quite making it (as do the majority who have an NRL club "contract" at any one time) is that they are lost to their original home team.

Country towns lose young blokes every year going to live the dream of being an NRL player. When they don't quite get there, they don't go back home and play there - they end up somewhere else at some level below NRL.

Same thing would happen to PNG, for the one in every 20 who might make it, you would lose 19 from the PNG system.

I don't really think it would be a massive problem when the Hunters are essentially the country's best players funneled in to one semi-pro team. I don't think any PNG players would deny an offer of an NRL contract even if the chance is remote of them making it. If they don't make it and don't want to go back to PNG to play then they have every right to do so.

The ultimate aim IMO should to be turn PNG in to a source for players up there with QLD, NSW and NZ. A strong national team would be something the people of PNG could really take pride in.

 

[RugbyLeagueStartedIn1988]

There is also this other issue with PNG RL. The majority of the PNGNRL Digicel Cup teams are all based in the highlands. There are large areas in PNG that are underrepresented as a result. Kinda like the NRL with 9 teams in Sydney thing.

 

[XXXX Cap]

Or kinda like their so-called NSW Cup.

 

[langpark]

Do any Hunters matches ever get streamed live by any chance??

 

[mikail-eagle]

All Hunters away matches played in Queensland (excluding Channel 9 matches) get streamed live and are also broadcast live into PNG by a new TV Station called TV Wan(Owned by Mobile Company Digicel).

TV Wan also broadcast Hunters home games throughout PNG. However there is no live stream yet for these home games.

 

[mikail-eagle]

9 wins on the trot for the Hunters.

http://news.pngfacts.com/2015/06/png-hunters-thrash-central-queensland.html


HUNTERS THRASH CQ CAPRAS

PNG Hunters thrashed Central Queensland Capras 68 - 4 in round 16 of the Intrust Super Cup competition in Kalabond Oval in Kokopo this afternoon.

The Hunters wasted no time to register first try of the game through fullback Stargroth Amean on the 7th minute. Thompson Tete followed with a 9th minute try and Zeming converted to take the score to 12-0.

David Lapua scored again for the Hunters at 20th minute to extend the lead to 16 - 0. On the 29th minute Noel Zemings scored to further extend their lead to 22 -0.

Zeming followed up with his second try only three minutes later, moved in and split the uprights to take the lead to 28 points to nil.

Captain Israel Eliab led by example and ran away to land a try and take the lead to 32 points. A successful conversion by Zemings saw Hunters had a commanding half lead with 34 points and Central Queensland Capras kept scoreless.

The second half started well with Ase Boas opening the flood gates in the 41th minute. Zeming converted and Hunters led 40.

Israel Eliab scored in the 49th minute to take the Hunters to 44 and Zeming again converted to take the lead to 46 Capras 0.

Eliab scored once more in the 51st minute and Zeming did his usual effort again, bringing the score to 52 points to 0.

The Capras finally managed to score through PNG boy Lance Kuveu but the conversion was unsuccessful so them trailing 40 - 4.

The Hunters muscled up scoring try after try to bring the score to 68 points to Central Queensland Capras 4 points.

Captain Israel Eliab scored four tries. Full time score. Hunters 68 Capras 4

The Hunters are now on the second spot on the Intrust Super Cup ladder after Northern Pride beat Ipswich Jets 20 - 14 yesterday.

The Hunters will travel to Australia to take on the Redcliffe Dolphins at Dolphine Oval next week. They will return to participate in the Pacific Games the following week.

 

[hellteam]

If anyone is interested the Jets vs Hunters game is on now. Live stream here http://www.qrl.com.au/interactive/live-stream.html

Been a great game so far, much better option than the warriors v dragons!!

 

[Up the mighty Phins]

And the Hunters were too good in the end winning 32-14. That should wrap up a top 2 spot now with PNG 5 points ahead of the third placed Jets.