HUNTERS vs TWEED HEADS
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HUNTERS vs TWEED HEADS
20 MINS: PNG Hunters 12 Tweed Heads Seagulls RLFC 6. #intrustsupercup
Forgive me for cheering on the Hunters!
PNG HUNTERS v TWEED HEADS SEAGULLS
Kalabond Oval, Kokopo on Saturday, April 12 - 2.30pm
Referee: Rob Gallacher
Head to Head: First match
Twitter: #intrustsupercup #PNGvTHS
After two weeks away – the Hunters return home looking to re-establish Kalabond Oval as a ‘graveyard’ for visiting teams following their round 4 defeat by the Northern Pride. Tweed Heads will be keen to snare an important away victory – and will also aim to record back-to-back wins for the first time this season. Thompson Teteh returns to a re-shuffled PNG line-up, along with Gonzela Urakusie, Noel Zemming and Adam Korave. Noel Joel, Joe Bruno and Esau Siune have all not been named; while the Hunters will also be without forward Mark Mexico who has signed with the Cronulla Sharks. The Hunters will miss “Mark the Shark’s” hard running, but will again re-group as they have previously when another NRL club came knocking – that time taking Wellington Albert to the Panthers. The Seagulls have made multiple changes with five-eighth Beau Henry sitting out the week with a one-match suspension for striking. Josh Harvey and Chris Piper have also not been named, with Tom Merritt, Cody Nelson and Zac Friend returning to the side. Interestingly, prop Damien Sironen – who scored Tweed’s first try in last weekend’s 12-8 win over Mackay – is the club’s leading try scorer so far this season, having crossed for four tries in six games.
Ben ‘Dobbo’ Dobbin (Triple M) says: Two weeks on the road for the Hunters did not bear much fruit – a draw with Easts and a loss to the Jets (which I predicted). Back at home with a point to prove, the departure of Mark Mexico to the NRL is a massive loss, but at the same time a huge feather in the cap of the Hunters. Tweed had a fantastic win in Mackay last weekend to kick start their season, but this will be a different ball game. PNG Hunters by 12.
POSTPONED – NORTHERN PRIDE v EASTS TIGERS
Although there was high anticipation for this match (we had even selected the Northern Pride to be this week’s cover stars for the programme) – Mother Nature has had other plans. Cyclone Ita is bearing down on the region and the decision was made to postpone the match until July 6. Stay safe North Queensland!
http://www.qrl.com.au/
SP PNG HUNTERS RETURN TO WINNERS CIRCLE
THE SP PNG Hunters have returned to the winner’s circle with a 36-26 win over Tweed Heads Seagulls in their Round Seven Intrust Super Cup match at Kalabond Oval, Kokopo.
After three games without a win – although one was a 20-20 draw against the Easts Tigers – the Hunters basked in celebration mode once again.
“A win is a win, it’s the two points we wanted,” coach Michael Marum said after the match.
The other two loses were to minor premiers Northern Pride 34-14 in Kokopo in round four and last week’s 25-12 against Ipswich Jets at the North Ipswich Reserve.
All kind of mixed signals were been beamed out from the Hunters’ early form with some wondering whether the PNG side’s fairy-tale unbeaten run was for real.
But on Saturday the Hunters muscled up and showed that when they knuckle down – stick to their game plan the PNG side can be a destructive unit.
There were periods of the game were they dug themselves into a tight corner with uncharacteristic errors which Tweed Heads capitalised on to put the heat back on the home side.
Such was the case when despite opening up a handy 12-0 lead with tries through prop Timothy Lomai and halfback Roger Laka in the first quarter of the first half, the Hunters drifted off their game plan.
“There are some areas we need to work on,” Marum said.
To their credit the Seagulls orchestrated some smart play using their experienced men with tries to five-eighth Michael Burgess and winger Kalifa Faifai Loa to claw their way back.
A penalty goal to Jamal Fogarty locked the game up at 12-12 by the half-time period and the game became a wide-open contest once again.
Faifai Loa celebrated with a double putting his NRL experience to great use as he mesmerized his opposite George Benson – a side that the Seagulls exploited for most of their tries.
He picked up his second, an unconverted try in the opening minutes of the second half to put the Seagulls in front for the first time 16-12 and start the short period of see-saw for the lead.
Hunters’ hooker Wartovo Puara wrestled the advantage off the visitors, a try which interchange player Noel Zeming converted for 18-16 before centre Luke Duma put the Seagulls back in the lead 20-18.
When “super sub” Willie Minoga powered over using brute strength to score and put the Hunters in front 22-20 the home side stepped up another gear in both attack and defence, which the Seagulls couldn’t match.
Minoga’s fearless attack where he runs straight at the defence and virtually right over tacklers just lifts the Hunters onto another level.
Lock Dion Aiye who had been quiet in the first half also shifted into top gear with incisive runs and smashing defence while man-of-the-match Laka was almost flawless with his kicks in general play – the Hunters started to look awesome.
When prop Gonzela Urakusie latched onto an inside ball to score and captain Israel Eliab who had set up Lomai’s opening try, crossed for his own contribution – the PNG side had opened up a sizeable 36-20 lead.
The Seagulls reduced the deficit in the dying minutes of the game with a consolation try but it made little difference as the two competition points were already safely locked away.
The Hunters now face a round double when they take on the Sunshine Coast next Sunday following by an Anzac day clash against the Burleigh Bears before their first bye round of the season.
The National Newspaper (PNG)
Quote:
Back on track
Source:
The National, Monday April 14th, 2014
By PETER SEVARA Jr in Kokopo
The Papua New Guinea Hunters are back on track. The SP-sponsored Hunters’ 36-26 win over the Tweed Head Seagulls came on the back of a different style of football complemented by a match-winning performance by halfback Roger Laka at Kalabond Oval, Kokopo, on Saturday.
The Tweed Heads Seagulls were welcomed with a one-two from the home side in the opening quarter of play. The Hunters got off to a blistering start posting two converted tries within the first three minutes of the match.
Hunters captain Israel Eliab re-gathered his own chip kick on the last tackle and sent prop Timothy Lomai over for the opening try and seconds after the restart Lomai turned provider sending in Laka for the second try and a 12-0 lead.
Coach Michael Marum made no bones about his game plan that saw play focused on the middle third.
“That is the game plan,” Marum said when asked why the ball was seldom spread to the flanks.
“Every match you go into you must have a plan and that was our plan. Each match is not the same so obviously you have to have a different approach to each game.” Laka was all class keeping the Hunters ahead with well placed kicks all over the park, barking orders to his troops and ensuring Marum’s strategy was followed. It was almost reminiscent to last week’s match with the Jets when the Gulls, through five-eighth Michael Burgess and former North Queensland Cowboys first grade winger, Kalifa Fai Fai Loa drew the visitors and level for a 12-12 score line at halftime.
Blake Anderson added the conversion before heading into the sheds.
The game seesawed in the second half as both teams traded tries. The Gulls came out firing with bulldozing runs by giants Pele Peletelese and Reg Saunders making the home side struggling for possession and on the backfoot in defence.
Burgess and Fai Fai Loa were a continuous threat on attack.
Burgess with his spinning grubbers caused havoc for the Hunters and Fai Fai Loa had the better of his opposite George Benson on a number of occasions.
Both teams exchanged hits up in the middle as a long lull crept into the match and interestingly, referee Robert Gallacher allowed a “water break” for the Gulls after Laka kicked on dead into the Gulls territory. Hunters regained possession soon enough after Wartovo Puara Junior jolted Jamal Forgaty near the line and play continued with Puara scoring from the ruck and Noel Zemming converting. Lawrence Tu’u showed courage providing support for Zemming and lock Dion Aiye who were a handful for the Gulls defence.
The Kalabond crowd played their part, lifting the side in the crucial stage when fatigue was setting in.
A bone-rattler by Aiye on a Tweed Heads runner saw the visitors lose position on their 10-metre line, and the following play saw Willie Minoga barge over for a try. Eliab followed it up with a try of his own while prop Gonzela Urakusie also helped himself to a four pointer.
Zemming kicked a perfect four from four.
The Gulls finished off respectably with a 10 point margin when Matt King dived in on a Burgess spinning grubber as the hooter signaled the end of the match.
Match Summary: PNG Hunters: 36 (T.Lomai, R. Laka, W. Puara Jr, W. Minoga, I. Eliab G. Urakusie tries; R.Laka 2, N. Zemming 4 con) Tweed Heads Seagulls 26 (M. Burgess, K. Fai Fai Loa 2, L Dumas, Matt King tries; B. Anderson, C Nelson con; J Fogarty pen) Half time: 12-12.