Boas: Look after Hunters

Veteran campaigner Boas concerned about player welfare

By PARKER TAMBUA
SP PNG Hunters veteran Ase Boas is confident that player welfare will be looked at seriously with the club now registered as an entity.
The 2017 Intrust Super Cup winner paid tribute to former players who were pioneers of the club. Boas said at the Hunters farewell in Port Moresby last week that some of the former players had no career to return to after football and that he hoped to see the change in the club’s welfare approach going forward.
“I have been in the Hunters system for a long time and I’ve seen a lot of players that have come and gone,” said Boas, who is also a former Kumul.
“One thing me and coach Matthew Church have talked a lot about since he came in last year was the welfare of our players.
“A lot of boys have come through the system and when they went out they had nothing to fall back on and they are back at home.
“That is one thing that really saddens me.
“Our former stars like Adex Wera and Esau Siune, they were the pioneers of this club but where are they now?” The 32-year old said that since Hunters was now an entity, it had to set a standard for the future Hunters in terms of their wellbeing.
“Now that we have a lot of young boys who’ve just joined like Judah Rimbu who is only 19.
“They (young players) will be part of the team for years to come and with Hunters registered as an entity it’s good to know that they will look at career pathways for players, engaging them in educational programmes and upskilling them.
“That would set the benchmark for future Hunters to come and would carry the Hunters brand forward,” he said.