Hunters go down to Falcons

Sunshine Coast winger Jono Reuben picked up his second hat-trick of tries in as many weeks as the Falcons proved too strong for a PNG Hunters side that showed plenty of fight despite the 60-6 scoreline.
Two of Reuben’s tries came from sheer speed; the first in the first half when he latched onto a Hunters attacking kick gone wrong just before his own line, while the second came in the second half when the Hunters were throwing all that they had at the Falcons line, only for a wayward pass to hit the deck and land in front of Reuben who scooped it up and ran almost 90 metres to score at other end.
He completed his treble with six minutes to go in the match with a relatively simple putdown out wide after a scrum play from his team.
As always, hooker Harry Grant was amongst the points, scoring a double, while Jordin Leiu, a member of the inaugural Under 20 Thunderbolts side, scored in his Intrust Super Cup debut.
Queensland Universities representative forward Tom Rafter also crossed for his first try in the Intrust Super Cup after he followed up on a Sandor Earl break up the middle of the field before fulltime.
The Hunters had started the game well and showed plenty of intent; responding to letting the Falcons in for the first try of the game by sending centre Brandon Nima over the line on the left edge in the 20th minute. However, that was the only joy for the visitors all match who trailed the Falcons 26-6 at halftime.
The win saw the Falcons hold the Pacific Allies Cup for the fifth year running. On Saturday, the Hunters take on Easts Tigers at Wabag’s Aipus Oval.
Results: Sat, July 13 – Blackhawks 60 Pride 6, Dolphins 32 Seagulls 20, Capras 24 Cutters 28; Sun, July 14 – Tweed Heads 6 Bears 42, Falcons 60 Hunters 6, Devils 22 Magpies 29, Tigers 18 Jets 28. – QRL