Hunters cull on

By ZACHERY PER
SP PAPUA New Guinea Hunters coach Michael Marum is expected to make more tough decisions on who stays and who goes in his final squad for the 2017 Q-Cup season.
Currently at the National Sports Institute in Goroka with the 40-man pre-season train-on squad under-going a rigorous camp, the players will be tested today and the squad will be see 10 players cut as Marum looks to get his final 30.
Marum has not spared any player, whether an established squad member or first-timer; he has held everyone to a stringent criteria and already some big names have been early casualties as the 43-year-old looks to get the fittest and most committed for another challenging Intrust Super Cup season.
Kumul Brandy Peter, star utilities Warren Glare, Edward Goma and Tuvi Lepan were discarded well before the squad travelled to the Eastern Highlands capital last weekend for the week-long camp.
The intensive pre-season training is taxing the players mentally as well as physically as the Hunters have had to abort the second half of their Highlands schedule after the planned camp in Hides, Hela, was called off during the week with the unrest in the province putting safety of the squad at risk.
As a result the Hunters are expected back at home base in Port Moresby by the weekend with a smaller squad that will make up the 2017 squad.
Marum said the Goroka camp had seen academy players from the Northern and Highlands confederates with a women’s team also training along side the Hunters and taking instruction from the coaching staff.
“The National Sports Institute in Goroka is an ideal location with peaceful atmosphere, no disturbance for players, gymnasium, training grounds and other facilities needed to focus mentally and physically on the season ahead,” Marum said.
“After the break whether we return to Goroka for training, it will be up to PNGRFL to decide for us,” Marum said.
Kumul Wellington Albert, who spent two years with Penrith Panthers, said it was good to be back with the Hunters again. “We are all fighting for positions in the team as they are now left open,” Albert said.
“We need to train hard to secure position in the team. It has has been tough but I thank Michael (Marum) and his staff for giving us this chance in the pre-season training,” the 194cm, 112kg forward said.
New face in the squad John Arme Gand from local Digicel Cup franchise the Lahanis said the training was intensive and only those who wanted to stay would make it.
He said the squad had a good number of forwards and the battle for spots would be interesting.
“The training has been really tough. It’s on another level from the Digicel Cup but it’s good because it means the Hunters will have a hungry pack that will be solid and fit to play,” Arme Gand said.
The second-rower along with Lahanis team-mate Eddie Dafa are the only Goroka-based players in the in the Hunters train-on squad.