Hunters to rally around Gotuno

Hello everyone, welcome to the ninth ‘Churchie’s Comment’ for the year in your favourite rugby league newspaper — The National.
The SP Hunters had their first away trip of the season last weekend for round three of the Queensland Intrust Super Cup (ISC) season.
It was the first time in the club’s history of flying on the day of the game and this can be challenging at times.
An hour long bus drive from the Gold Coast to Brisbane Airport, then an hour and 45 minutes flight to Mackay.
This requires an earlier than usual start to our day and the challenge of playing at night.
Traditionally at night, the Hunters have struggled with playing under lights.
I put this down to not training at night back home where we usually train during the day and artificial light takes getting used to.
Most ISC teams don’t have the lighting capacity of National Rugby League (NRL) stadiums so therefore the lighting can create a problem.
We saw with our players misjudging kicks that lead directly to two Mackay Cutters tries to notice that the adjustment of the ball above the eyes is a challenge under lights.
Despite those challenges, the Hunters were reasonably in control throughout the Mackay match.
Unfortunately, we lost Brendon Gotuno to a broken arm in the first three minutes.
Gotuno left the field clutching his dangling forearm. X-rays have revealed a clean break to both bones in the right forearm, Gotuno underwent surgery on Monday and is looking at up to eight weeks of recovery time.
Gotuno was upbeat after the game and is committed to getting himself right to return as soon as possible.
We will all get around him, support him with the best possible care and keep him fit so that when he’s been given the clearance to return, he’ll have the best opportunity to reclaim his position.
Our attention now shifts to the Sunshine Coast Falcons this weekend on a return to our adopted home, Bycroft Oval.
Having spent some time in the Falcons programme, I am fully aware that this game will be a step-up for our players.
This week also acts as ‘Rivalry Round’ so what better rivalry than the 2017 grand final rematch.
The Falcons have been a strong force in the competition for a number of years and we know that we will be up against some national talent this weekend.
The Falcons don’t just rely on their Melbourne Storm affiliation, as they have some of the most experienced players in key positions across the park.
All that aside and nothing against my former team, but our focus is on the Hunters and some areas we feel we need to improve.
One of those areas is ball security. We got away with turning over the ball last week.
The Cutters, a young side, failed to make us pay in this area and the top teams won’t give us the same luxury.
While we have improved our kicking game from round one, we still need to be kicking well to put the top teams under pressure.
‘Points through pressure’ is a message I have been sending to our team over the past few weeks.
We will have to hold the ball and kick better this weekend if we want to come out victorious.
I have been impressed by how our players have handled themselves through the challenges we have faced as a team.
While our results have been great, I feel that’s a reflection of how well they have coped in this transition to Queensland life.
It’s also a measure of what we have put around them to help them. Having a wellbeing and education manager is a valuable asset.
Bringing in consultants that upskill the players and staff is another huge win.
High performance programmes thrive when it is a learning environment.
Everyone from the head coach down to the players and each position in between is learning.
Until next week, stay safe, play safe and let’s all respect and be kind to each other.

Cheers,
Matt

Fixtures: Sat, April 17 – Hunters v Falcons, Tweed Heads v Bears, Jets v Tigers, Blackhawks v Pride, Capras v Cutters; Sun, April 18 – Wynnum Manly v Dolphins, Magpies v Devils.