Hunters excited to return home

By PARKER TAMBUA
THE SP Hunters are thrilled to return to Papua New Guinea and play their first home game in three years which will be their round-18 Hostplus Cup clash with Townsville Blackhawks at the Santos National Football Stadium (NFS) on Aug 13.
Hunters coach Matthew Church told The National yesterday that his men wanted to restore pride in the Hunters jersey and give their fans something to cheer about by winning the last three games on home soil.
The 12th-placed South Pacific Brewery-sponsored Hunters will face hosts Sunshine Coast Falcons in their last 2022 regular-season away match in round 17 next Sunday.
“We have a couple of weeks left on the Gold Coast,” Church said.
“We want to perform well and return home on the back of strong performances.
“We are all excited for the boys to return to their country, cultures and people.
“For a large chunk of our side, they haven’t played a home game as a Hunter yet.
“It will be exciting as we know the people of PNG haven’t seen a Hunters game on home soil in nearly three years.”
Church said it had been tough for the players to live and play on the Gold Coast for the past two seasons.
“It has been a challenge for them being away from their cultures,” he said.
“So it’s going to be great to be back around that and also our valued sponsors who have supported us through these challenging times.
“We look forward to being out in front of our sponsors and hopefully a packed NFS for the last three games.
“We want to bring a sense of pride when we represent the nation on home soil.
“We know what a fortress NFS has been across the lifetime of the Hunters.
“While we’ve had ‘home’ games on the Gold Coast, we simply can’t match the experience or replicate a home crowd that we see in Port Moresby.”