Bears blitzed

ADEX Wera’s purple patch continued yesterday, with the centre bagging four tries in the PNG Hunters’ 42-6 hammering of defending Intrust Super Cup champions, the Burleigh Bears.
The seven-try battering at Pizzey Park, Burleigh Heads, on the Gold Coast, was the Hunters’ fourth away win (from five games) of the season and saw the South Pacific-Brewery-sponsored side rise to second on the ladder.
The victory during the competition’s Anzac round (8) also saw coach Michael Marum’s men reclaim the Kokoda Cup a week after taking back the Stan Joyce Cup with a tight win over Redcliffe at the NFS.
The 36-point winning margin was the Hunters second biggest against the Bears, behind only their 56-12 triumph in round 21 in Kokopo in 2014.
The versatile Wera, 26, may just have booked his spot in Marum’s Kumuls squad for the May 6th Test against the Cook Islands in Sydney, while incumbent PNG prop Luke Page toiled hard in a beaten side.
The Hunters’ defensive effort would have also coaxed a rare smile out of Marum as his side only conceded a converted try to Burleigh fullback Curtis Rowe in the third minute courtesy of a bad read in defence by Wera.
The Simbu native, however, more than made up for that lapse with a masterclass in attack, making a mockery of the Bears right edge defence on multiple occasions.
Hunters captain Ase Boas’ goal-kicking impressed, with the play-maker notching up 14 points from six conversions and a penalty goal.
The Hunters did not take long to hit back when Boas found Wera with an inside ball for a try in the ninth minute.
Boas added the extras to level scores at 6-6.
The remainder of the opening half was an arm-wrestle as the Bears looked to use their big men to set a platform but Wera bagged his second four-pointer and a highlight reel nominee, pulling in a Boas chip to score in the 16th minute.
Leading 12-6, Boas added a penalty a minute before the break for a fairly innocuous 14-6 lead.
And then the Bears got declawed in the second 40, thanks mainly to Wera, who toyed with his opposite Sami Sauiluma, but not before hooker Wartovo Puara Jr grabbed a try in the 49th minute to get the second-half party started.
Wera would score the next two tries (55th and 60th min) in similar fashion — take inside ball from Boas, step inside defence and accelerate to the line.
Wartovo was benched with 15 minutes to go, giving forward Ishmael Balkawa a cameo at dummy-half.
Veteran back-rower David Loko (63rd) and wing Karo Kauna Jr (71st) capped off the Hunters dominance with tries.
Bears 6 (Curtis Rowe try; Keanu Tekiri con) Hunters 42 (Adex Wera 4, Wartovo Puara Jr, David Loko, Karo Kauna Jr tries; Ase Boas 6 con, pen) at Pizzey Park.
Round 8 Results: Sat, April 22 – WM Seagulls 22 Capras 34, Cutters 33 Tigers 10; Sun, April 23 – Magpies 30 Jets 36, Dolphins 46 Falcons 28, Devils 20 Pride 22, Blackhawks 48 TH Seagulls 18.