Wera out, Haro called up as Hunters seek win No.3

By JACK AMI
THE Papua New Guinea Hunters will look to claim their third win of the season when they face the Redcliffe Dolphins in their round 12 Intrust Super Cup match in Brisbane tomorrow.
In a notable change, Shane Haro comes into the line-up after veteran Adex Wera was ruled out with a hamstring injury.
Coach Michael Marum said Wera’s withdrawal and Haro’s promotion to the centres would see Ase Boas come off the bench with halves Justin Yoka and Nick Hasu maintaining their combination.
Prop Moses Meninga, who has captained the side since round six, will once again lead the side in Wera’s absence.
The Hunters, who scored their first home win of the season last Sunday against Souths Logan, will fancy their chances against the defending champions who themselves have struggled in 2019 having won just three games so far and sit in 10th place.
Marum said McKenzie Yei was in doubt with an ankle injury but he expected the second-rower to be fit for the Redcliffe game.
Marum said he was pleased with hooker Gahuna Silas’ form after coming last week without having any Digicel Cup form.
He said Silas had shown maturity and had an impact against the Souths Logan Magpies at the National Football Stadium last week.
He said Silas and Jerry Teme would rotate in the dummy half role hopefully with a similar impact to last round.
“This is a good side and I am confident we are going to perform well against the Dolphins,” Marum said. “We are 12th on the ladder and we’re looking to get some more wins.
“We have beaten them in previous seasons but we will see how we go with the new players.”
Fixtures: Rd 12 – Fri, May 31: Mackay Cutters v Ipswich Jets; Sat, June 1: Easts Tigers v Northern Pride, Wynnum Manly Seagulls v Townsville Blackhawks, Redcliffe Dolphins v PNG Hunters; Sun, June 2: CQ Capras v Norths Devils, Tweed Heads Seagulls v Souths Logan Magpies, Sunshine Coast Falcons v Burleigh Bears.