Hunters set for Pride

FORMER Townsville Blackhawks forward Willie Minoga will play in the centres for coach Michael Marum’s PNG Hunters in their Queensland Cup pre-season trial against the Northern Pride in Cairns on Saturday.
Minoga, who played for the Hunters in 2014 and 2015, had a stint with the Townsville last year but returned to the South Pacific Brewery-backed side for the 2017 season and Marum has pitched the man known as the “freight train” on the edge, giving the Engan a shot at one of the three-quarters spots left vacant by the departure of Thompson Teteh and Noel Zeming.
“We’re giving Willie a run in the centres to see how he goes,” Marum said.
“He’s played there before at Digicel Cup level and he’s been training in that position for the last three weeks, he understands what’s needed.
“We’ll give him 20 minutes and see if it works.
“He’s played that wide-running back-rower’s role before so it’s similar to what we want from him,” he said.
Minoga, pictured, who has trimmed down significantly since joining Marum’s squad in the off-season, gets his shot to impress in the absence of several other likely candidates for the job in Adex Wera (injured), Edward Goma (released to Agmark Gurias) and Anderson Benford, who will play for the Lae Tigers in this Saturday’s Melanesian Cup fixture against the Nadi Aviators in Sigatoka, Fiji.
The Hunters squad members making their debuts in this match are vice-captain Wellington Albert, Karo Kauna Junior, Nixon Put, Radley Brawa and Moses Meninga.
Former Penrith Panthers club men Wellington and Stanton Albert will start in the pack with the brothers along with Henry Wan to do the main ball-carrying duties in the opening exchanges.
Prop Esau Siune will back them up off the bench.
Stanton, who played a handful of games for the Hunters during their inaugural season, has been named at lock but Marum said the 21-year-old would play tight and in the middle third.
The clash will be the Hunters only pre-season match ahead of their March 4 season opener against the CQ Capras in Rockhampton.
Marum confirmed that the match against the Pride at Kangaroo Oval would be played in 20-minute quarters and with unlimited inter-change. Five-eighth Israel Eliab reprises his role outside captain Ase Boas in the halves, with the expectation that the former skipper can still be the dangerous ball-runner he was in the club’s first two years (2014 and 2015) before a UK stint last year.
Other players left out of the 20-man squad were regular hooker Wartovo Puara Jr (injured) and Lae Tigers players Junior Rop, Noel Joel and David Loko, who will be in Fiji with their Digicel Cup side this weekend.
Hunters squad members Eddie Dafa and Paul Wawa were unlucky to miss out and will remain in Port Moresby.
The Pride-Hunters trial game is at 6.15pm and Marum’s squad returns home the next day. Marum said the morale in camp was high and he was expecting a good standard of football in their first hit-out of the year.
PNGRFL media officer Ephata Samuel confirmed that the game would not be televised.
SP Hunters: 1. Stargroth Amean 2. Butler Morris 3.Karo Kauna Jr 4. Willie Minoga 5. William Aquila 6.Israel Eliab 7. Ase Boas (c) 8. Henry Wan 9. Gahuna Silas 10. Wellington Albert (vc) 11. Ishmael Balkawa 12.Nixon Put 13. Stanton Albert; Interchange: 14. Watson Boas 15. Enoch Maki 16. Lawrence Tu’u 17. Bland Abavu 18.Moses Meninga 19. Radley Brawa 20. Esau Siune.