Church sees need for speed

By PARKER TAMBUA
COACH Matthew Church says a big part of his final squad selection will be based on speed as his SP Hunters prepare for the new Hostplus Cup season.
The Australian said last week that rugby league had become faster, adding that it was unfortunate that some standout Digicel Cup players had missed the cut for that reason.
Church said he also based his selection on 2021 champions Lae Tigers and runners-up Waghi Tumbe.
“I look at suitability to the game style,” he said.
“The game is getting quicker and the Digicel Cup is probably a level or two below where we need them to be.
“It’s about those players who meet that criterion. There are some players who were unlucky and missed out.
“Players like Joshua Lau who won the Digicel Cup player-of-the-year award, but unfortunately he broke his forearm So he wasn’t available for selection.”
Church said the public may have their own opinion, but insisted that selections were based on the club’s criteria.
“I know that public opinion is very high about selecting the bulk of Tigers players who won the grand final,” he said.
“But if you look at representative teams, if I was picking an Australian side, it will be favoured on the side that wins the National Rugby League grand final or players who competed in it.
“So we are looking at those things and who can play at a higher level.
“So the semifinal and grand final rivalry in Digicel Cup is a bit closer to the Hostplus Cup. It’s about who handles how we want to play.”