Destiny awaits PNG Hunters

The National Sports

By PETER PUSAL
SUNDAY marks the culmination of four years of hard work for Papua New Guinea’s leading rugby league side the SP Hunters.
Hailing from the only country in the world where rugby league is the national sport, the Hunters face the Sunshine Coast Falcons in the 2017 Intrust Super Cup grand final on Sunday carrying the weight of a nation on their shoulders. But if they win it will be a  truly memorable moment.
Not too shabby for a team that only entered the competition in 2014 and is now playing in its first final.
Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane is expected to be invaded by Hunters fans from around Queensland and PNG.
Air Niugini flights from Port Moresby to the state capital have been fully booked since the beginning of the week with Queensland Rugby League officials anticipating the largest crowd for a final in the Q-Cup’s history — a number in excess of 10,000.
The venue management has made 25,000 seats available at the 52,000-seat stadium, a testimony to the interest the game has generated since the Hunters earned the first spot in the grand final after their 6-4 major semifinal win over the Redcliffe Dolphins two weeks ago.
The Falcons are worthy opponents having thrashed the Dolphins 40-14 in last week’s preliminary final and beaten the Hunters in their last two meetings.
The Melbourne Storm feeder club is in great touch and have NRL-experienced talent in halfback Ryley Jacks, forwards Tui Kamikamica and Joe Stimson as well as rising young stars in five-eighth Scott Drinkwater and fullback Guy Hamilton to call on as well as PNG’s own Justin Olam, who expects no quarter from his countrymen and will give none.
But the Hunters have one thing the Falcons can only dream of — the undivided support from an entire nation.
Coupled with a sense of destiny and a steely resolve to match, captain Ase Boas, judged the competition’s best player this season, has the honour of leading his men into battle.
Win or lose, Sunday will go down in the PNG sports annals as a marker for the code, a time PNG rugby league turned a corner.
Faced with the biggest game of his coaching career so far, Hunters coach Michael Marum said his side had not altered the way they prepared for a game.
The sessions were still being done and the regular routines followed.
Marum, the QRL’s 2017 coach-of-the-year, told The National that there was a sense of ease in the camp, despite the enormity of the situation.
“To be honest, we’ve been pretty relaxed. We don’t feel that pressure. The boys understand what has to be done. Now that we’ve got to the big one; that’s the one we’ve been working hard for. It’s all about finishing off the job,” Marum said.
Consistency has been a hallmark of Marum and even leading up to the club’s most important match he was confident in his methods and the work that had got his team this far.
“Nothing changes for us in our preparation. As long as the boys go out there and play their best football and remember what we’ve worked so hard for, that’s all that matters, I’ll be happy. Playing in a grand final is a privilege. You don’t get to do that very often. We’ve got 80 minutes to put it all together.”
The Hunters leave for Brisbane at 3pm today and are scheduled for a captain’s run tomorrow afternoon at Cameron Oval at Marist College, Ashgrove. The session will be open to sponsors and the PNG community in Brisbane as well as fans.
Hunters: 1. Stargroth Amean 2. Wawa Paul 3. Bland Abavu 4. Adex Wera 5. Butler Morris 6. Ase Boas (C) 7. Watson Boas 8. Wellington Albert 9. Wartovo Puara Jr 10. Stanton Albert 11. David Loko 12. Nixon Put 13. Moses Meninga; Reserves: 14. Rhadley Brawa 15. Willie Minoga 16. Enoch Maki 17. Brandy Peter 18. Esau Siune
Programme: Suncorp Stadium – Sun, Sept 24
11.45am     — Gates open
Noon     — Development Cup grand final
1.15pm     — FOGS Colts grand final
3.25     — Intrust Super Cup grand final