Bire: I’m excited to make my debut

By PARKER TAMBUA
SP Hunters centre Jokadi Bire says he is thrilled to be making his Queensland Intrust Super Cup (ISC) debut against the Wynnum Manly Seagulls in round one at Bycroft Oval on the Gold Coast tomorrow (2.40pm kick-off).
The 21-year-old told The National yesterday that despite the Hunters having gone through an unaccustomed pre-season without any trial matches, “it will not drag the team down”.
“I am excited to make my debut,” the former Lae Snax Tiger said.
“The build-up has been positive and I am looking forward to my first ISC match.
“The feeling in the camp is great.
“The environment here is great, we have friendly and supportive staff members.
“We’re pumped for our first hit-out.
“My goal is to go out there and just play my role in the team. I am confident and I look forward to doing a good job in the centres.”
From Salt-Nomane in Chimbu, Bire said the Hunters were making use of the high-quality facilities at Runaway Bay.
“The facilities here were used in the 2018 Commonwealth Games, so they are of a high standard,” he said.
“We’ve had a challenging pre-season unlike other teams.
“From my view, the fact that we haven’t had any trials may affect us in terms of fitness since it’s our first match.
“But it will not be an excuse and it will not drag us down.
“I have made sacrifices and the entire squad have also made a lot of sacrifices to come this far, so we will play to the best of our abilities.”