Hunters to recruit new faces

COACH Matthew Church says there will be “fresh faces” in his squad for next season as he prepares for his second year in charge of the SP Hunters.
He told The National yesterday that the Queensland Rugby League will likely introduce rule changes in the Intrust Super Cup (ISC) in an effort to increase the speed of the game.
“The game is always evolving and we have to be mindful of that when putting together our squad,” Church said.
“Obviously, the game will be a lot quicker next season so we can’t afford to have men who are slow and can’t play big minutes, especially up the middle.
“Nowadays, the game is such that every team is trying to hit the advantage as close as possible.
“Papua New Guinea rugby league is a bit old school, we play one-out but our strengths are intent, speed and evasion.
“One-on-one, I’ll back any of my players to beat their opposition.”
Church, who got out of quarantine last week after returning from Australia, said he had been following the Digicel Cup this season.
“I get videos of the matches,” he said.
“But it isn’t the same as watching the matches in person. There have been some standout players this season.
“Stanley Olo, Watson Boas, Wartovo Puara Jr, Jordan Pat (Rabaul Gurias), Solo Wane and Judah Rimbu (Hela Wigmen) have been impressive.
“Rimbu is only 19 years old but he has been outstanding for the (Digicel Cup champions) Wigmen.
“We’ll be looking at all the players available to come up with our training squad but there will be some fresh faces for next season.”
Meanwhile, the Australian said Ase Boas would “more than likely” captain the 2017 champions next season.
“You can’t go past someone of Ase’s experience,” Church said of the 31-year-old playmaker.
But the coach said the Hunters needed to start getting younger players around the experienced men to ensure a smooth transition of leadership.