Hunters fall to Tweed

THE Papua New Guinea Hunters received a wake-up call in the final game of the Q-Cup season going down to the Tweed Heads Seagulls 26-18 yesterday.
Despite securing the minor premiership a week earlier, the round 25 fixture had meaning for the Hunters who wanted to close out a successful regular season with a win as well as exact some revenge for their round 15 loss to the Seagulls. The hosts proved that they have the Hunters’ number in 2017 with a gritty defensive effort in the second half shrugging off Michael Marum’s men.
The Hunters have the first week of the Q-Cup finals off and will play the Redcliffe Dolphins at the NFS on Sept 10.
The major semifinal will be at the National Football Stadium on Sept 10.
The Hunters were behind the eight ball at Piggabeen Sports Oval trailing 18-0 after 29 minutes as the home side took the initiative with tries to hooker Sam Meskell (9th minute), lock Nicholas Harrold (18th) and fullback Jayden Baker (27th) while five-eighth Lindon McGrady converted all three attempts.
The Hunters managed to rattle off two well-taken tries to captain Ase Boas and fullback Stargroth Amean to trail 18-12 at halftime.
Amean’s try was worthy of the highlight reel with the 26-year-old chasing an Ase Boas bomb, jumping to catch it over a stationary Baker before rolling into the Seagulls in-goal for the four-pointer.
The second half started off badly for the Hunters with Gulls prop Tristian Lumley bulldozing his way through some inept defence by the Hunters off their try line in the 44th minute.
At 24-12 to Tweed Heads the match became an armwrestle from that point on with the home side growing in self-belief and a desperate Hunters struggling to find a way through.
Israel Eliab came off the field injured before the clock hit 50 minutes and the Hunters were forced to reshuffle their backline with wing Bland Abavu shifting to centre.
Hunters halfback Watson Boas bravely stayed on the field after clearly being dazed in a tackle.
The 22-year-old still managed to pull off a try-saving tackle in the next play and stayed down momentarily before dusting himself off and returning to the fray.
The Gulls edged further ahead with a 60th minute penalty goal to McGrady to be 26-12 in front.
The visitors looked to mount a comeback as No.9 Wartovo Puara Jr sold and dummy crossed over under the uprights in the 62nd minute after a period of positive play by the Hunters.
Trailing 26-18 the Hunters lifted their intensity but the Seagulls were equal to the task managing to hold out the side they beat 14-10 earlier in the season.
Ase Boas’ try and three goals saw him move to 204 points, the most by a Hunters player in a season.
TH Seagulls 26 (Sam Meskell, Nicholas Harrold, Jayden Baker, Tristan Lumely tries; Lindon McGrady 4 con, pen) PNG Hunters 18 (Ase Boas, Stargroth Amean, Wartovo Puara Jr tries; Ase Boas 3 con).
Rd 25 results: Sat, Aug 26 – Jets 44 Capras 4, Pride 16 Dolphins 40, Cutters 18 Magpies 32, Tigers 32 Bears 12; Sun, Aug 27 – Falcons 42 Blackhawks 16, TH Seagulls 26 Hunters 18, Devils 30 WM Seagulls 16.