Hunters fight back to edge Mapies in thriller

THE PNG Hunters may have pulled off a thrilling last minute 22-20 win over the Souths Logan Magpies on Saturday but coach Michael Marum was far from pleased with the performance his side put on.
Captain Noel Zeming ended up scoring a double, the second of which was the match-winner, and kicked three goals to help his side get over the line.
“We didn’t start the first-half well even though that’s something we’ve spoken about before every game,” Marum said.
“I don’t know what happened there.
“The boys just turned up with the wrong attitude.
“That’s something we need to fix up before our next game.
“We can’t keep doing this with a our remaining games.”
The Hunters trailed 12-6 at halftime at the National Football Stadium and were in danger of losing their first home game of 2016.
The Magpies put on three tries to the Hunters single, with Marion Seve, Scott Doyle and Jack Joass crossing while Enock Maki scored for the home side.
Doyle missed all three conversions and would have rued his inaccuracy given the final result.
Five-eighth Ase Boas benefited from an inside ball from brother Watson to score in the 42nd minute and the comeback looked to be on but Joass crossed for his second in what looked to be a dubious try after video replays showed him losing the ball over the line.
Doyle kicked a penalty for the Magpies to get out to a 20-12 lead before Zeming scored one of the tries of the round, chasing a Ase Boas grubber in goal. The Magpies had never beaten the SP-sponsored side and looked likely to get their first win leading 20-18 with less than two minutes on the clock.
But the Hunters got into good territory after referee Chris Anderson penalised Magpies defenders for forcing an error in the play-the-ball by winger Philemon Kimisive.  That was the invitation the home side needed as (Ase) Boas kicked for touch and the Hunters found themselves with an attacking set 25-metres out.
Hooker Wartovo Puara Jr chose to attack the blindside on the second tackle and hit centre Zeming with a selective pass, which saw halfback (Watson) Boas and Kimisive running good lines to bamboozle the Souths Logan left edge defence.
The Magpies were the better side over the majority of the match, with their pack bolstered by Brisbane Broncos’ players Joe Ofahengaue, Herman Ese’Ese and Joe Boyce, as well as centre Seve having an impact on the visitors game.