Hunters can do better

THE Intrust Super Cup match between the SP PNG Hunters and Burleigh Bears on Sunday illustrated several areas of concern which should be addressed soon.
The Australian players are always bigger, bulkier and heavier than our boys.
Someone should have found a way to use that to our advantage instead of using our usual strategies.
If we can’t go through them, we certainly can go around, over or under them.
The only time this simple strategy was used was when Jokadi Bire ducked under the chest high defense of two bear’s defenders and raced away to score in the left corner.
The half-back should stop tapping the kicking spot, swaying in the wind and doing all the unnecessary rituals.
He should concentrate on placing the ball, aiming the ball tip for the centre or just inside of the uprights riding on the wind strength and kick a conversion goal.
It’s no big deal when you know that 70 per cent of the time you will still miss because of all the unnecessary rituals.
In the game against the Bears, our boys should have won if the kicker had concentrated more on the ball than his thoughtless rituals.
Someone should have coached our players to restrict the legs when tackling a heavier and taller player.
What’s the use of tackling the shoulders when the legs are still pumping?
Someone should advise the Hunters that it was in their best interest to capitalise on the injury sustained by not one but six opposing players including their half-back.
As a longtime associate of rugby league, it was disappointing to note the continuation of our typical Papua New Guinea game of one-man play.
I thought we moved past that now that we’re playing in the international level.
On Sunday’s game, there was absolutely no coordination between the half-backs and the rest of the players.
There was a good crowd to see the Hunters play.
But they were let down by our boys with their uncoordinated play all match. Despite all that, thank you Brendon Nima, Norman Brown and Kevin Appo for your wonderful representation of Goroka, Terry Wapi for your wonderful play and Jokadi Bire for representing us in Kiari, Chimbu.
Luke Page, the white Kumul on the other side, led his team well by playing the Papua New Guinea style of aggression in rugby league.
I’m sure Papua New Guinea selectors were taking note of his performance.

Gerard Saleu