Aussie to coach Hunters
Queensland Intrust Super Cup side to announce their first overseas mentor
THE South Pacific Brewery-backed Hunters are set to announce outgoing coach Michael Marum’s successor today ahead of pre-season training for the Queensland Intrust Super Cup side next week.
The National understands that the incoming coach is an Australian, who has had a hand in talent identification for Melbourne Storm feeder clubs Easts Tigers and the Sunshine Coast Falcons since 2015.
Several attempts to contact PNGRFL for comment were unsuccessful.
However, it is understood that the new coach beat 13 other applicants – including three nationals – to the role, which former Rabaul Gurias coach Michael Marum has held since the Hunters’ debut season in 2014.
He is in Port Moresby and has already toured the Hunters facilities, including the 15,000-seat Oil Search National Football Stadium (NFS) in Boroko.
It is understood that the new coach will name his initial squad by the end of the week, with those involved in the Kumuls’ 28-10 win over Great Britain last weekend expected to return in the New Year.
The Hunters play the Central Queensland Capras in a pre-season NFS clash on Feb 22 before travelling to Cairns to face the Northern Pride a week after in another trial.
Feb 22 will see a double-header with the Cronulla Sharks and Canterbury Bulldogs playing the other match in a National Rugby League trial which is expected to attract a good crowd at the NFS.
13 comments
Hope the the new coach is not a racist.
What do you mean by that? You implying that the coach will select Australians over our boys. I don’t get what you are implying here.
We need a PNG based Coach who can easily pick raw talents from Digicel Cup, Zone Trials, etc to make way into Hunters. How can a Aussie based Coach pick next batch of Hunters?
CONGRATULATION HUNTERS HEAD COACH Mr.Matthew CHURCH.WE PUT OUR TOTAL TRUST AND BELIEVE THAT YOU WILL LEAD A BLAND OF HUNTERS PLAYERS THROUGH SUCCESSFULLY. ON THE SAME TOKEN,WE PAY TRIBUTE TO OUR FORMER COACH-MICHAEL MARUM FOR THE GOOD WORK IN UP BRING OF THE PNG HUNTERS TO THE WORLD STANDARD>GOD BLESS YOU IN YOUR FUTURE ENDEVOURS.GO HUNTERS GO!
It it a good news to hunters and PNG as a whole…just one question, PNG has alot of players who are really qualified to play in NRL..but what is the problem? we put our trust in you to make inroads in NRL teams to recruit some of our PNG players please.
He has connections in Australia and he also has experience in developing players so I think he is very much suitable for the Hunters role. Hunters is all about identifying talents, developing them and exporting them to greener pastures overseas. Well done Hunters board and hope to see more of our boys getting contracts overseas.
Hope is not just after money. Bob Benneret, brother of Wayne Bennert, was coaching Kumuls for years and never won a game like they did on Saturady.
CONGRATULATIONS! Mr Mathew Church.
Welcome aboard Px PNG HUNTERS and;
On behalf of our 8 million people I WELCOME YOU and your Family TO PAPUA NEW GUINEA.
ENJOY YOUR TENURE BECAUSE YOU ARE PART OF OUR RUGBY LEAGUE; the greatest spectator sport in this country,
ALL THE BEST.
Doesn’t matter we have a national coach or an expatriate as our coach as long as he contributes to the hunters being a regular and dominant force in the Intrust Super Cup. The more our team performs better the more we get NRL clubs looking at our players.
Congratulation Church! Bring it on next year lets see whats you got.
Sesmo, please stop having negative thoughts regarding coaches. Papua New Guinean have been talking about Michael Marum. Too many critics is not helping. Just wait and see the new coach take the scene. Too many justification. Try and reason good input then jumping to final conclusion. Let other coach lead and we see the performances. People have been talking much about great Michael Marum. He has committed to get start the SP Hunter and finally won finals in 2017. Too many backbiting will never help.
Give the man a fair go, his job is to coach and make it the best to win games he is not here as racist as some of you claim a preconceived ideas leave it out we are better than that yes we are Papua New Guineans but we are also guardian of cultures and life not racist. Michael Marum has done very well he deserve his place in the books so his successors must etch the same trademark go hunters and Church
With the expertise of Mathew Church the newly appointed coach for the PNG hunters will rise our boys in building a competitive team in the coming year 2020. Thus, it is a boost to our team.
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