Hunters take positives from flawed season

THE Hunters were near unstoppable on home soil, however it was their away record that saw the defending premiers fall just short of the 2018 Intrust Super Cup finals series.
Key Factor: Away record
The PNG Hunters were near unstoppable on home soil, winning 10 out of 12 games at Oil Search Stadium.
However, the same could not be said about their away record. The Hunters managed to win only 3 out of 11 away games.
Unfortunately, Hunters left their worst performance until the final round of the competition, suffering a 38-22 defeat to the 13th placed CQ Capras at Browne Park, ultimately costing them a place in the 2018 finals series.
The Hunters finished the 2018 season in seventh position on ladder, sitting on equal points with Ipswich Jets and Easts Tigers.
However, they failed to qualify for the finals as their for-and-against (26) was much lower than 6th placed Ipswich Jets (49), and 5th placed Easts Tigers (79).
The Season By-The-Numbers
Final Position on Ladder: 7th
Won: 13, Draw: 0, Lost: 10; Home and Away Record: Home: 10-2, Away: 3-8; Scoring: Scored: 444, Conceded: 418, F/A: 26.
Standout Player: Watson Boas, pictured: Tries: 12, Try Assists: 6, Line Break Assists: 3, Average Kick M: 141m, Forced Drop Outs: 13
Notable Player Mentions: Rahdley Brawa, Edene Gebbie and Junior Rau.
Highlight: Round 20 – PNG Hunters upset competition heavyweights Burleigh Bears (20-10).
Notable Player Achievements: PNG Kumuls selection — Junior Rau, Thompson Teteh, Edene Gabbie, Moses Meninga, Willie Minoga, Stanton Albert, Rhadley Brawa and Enoch Maki; Hunters Player of the Year and Kumuls selection — Nixon Putt; 400 Q-Cup points and Kumuls selection — Ase Boas; 50 tries in the Q-Cup and Kumuls selection — Adex Wera; 100 games in Q-Cup — Wartovo Puara.
Looking ahead to 2019:
The PNG Hunters will be looking to bounce back to the form that saw them take out the 2017 Intrust Super Cup premiership.
The Hunters have one of the stronger squads in the Intrust Super competition; but will again have to contend with the loss of experience in 2019 with the Boas brothers and Thompson Teteh all leaving for the United Kingdom.
We already know Hunters are a different team when they play at home; so if they can build some consistency with their away games next year, they will find themselves in a much stronger position heading towards the finals in 2019. – QRL.com