Posted By Staff Reporter
THE PNG Hunters forwards are working up a sweat.
With a lot of expectations placed on the Hunters to do well in their debut season in Queensland’s Intrust Super Cup rugby league competition, it is the forwards who will shoulder the workload. With a core of the PNG Kumul larger pool of players drafted into the team, coach Michael Marum and his assistants in Jason Tassell and Shane Morris are working to fine tune the SP Hunters’ mobile pack. Marum said he does not see size as an issue but more so their ability to handle what is expected of them in the debut season. “Basically it will come down to the two trial matches against the Northern Pride and Rockhampton to see who wants to get a starting role,” he said. After working overtime to get the engine room into shape over the past few months, they are now starting to work on running the lines from the pattern they have in place. The forwards were seen last week working in separate units – in two groups of combinations – with the two dummy halves Wartovo Puara Jnr and Lawrence Tu’u feeding the runners. Both Tassell and Morris were keeping a close eye on the forwards while Marum was working with the backs collecting grubber and high kicks when The National caught up with their midday training session last Wednesday before heading to the pool. With two weeks before their first pre-season trial match against the Northern Pride in Cairns on February 9, Marum is still toying with the combinations. It will be interesting to see how things pan out with last year’s Digicel Cup hardliners in Gary Lo, Tiger Emere and George Benson pushing for a wing start and Lae Tigers duo Thompson Teteh, Willie Minoga and the untried Edward Goma adding pace for the contest in the centres positions. While at fullback, it is a toss-up between Goroka Lahanis Adex Wera who looks to have earned his stripes but will have a strong challenge from Guria’s Albert Patak. Patak, returning fully-fit from a season ending injury gives the team that extra try-scoring ability with his pace and guile. Marum said with the heavy training out of the way they have now split the squad to work on their respective roles. PNG Facts/The National Comments are closed.
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