Posted By Staff Reporter
By Edward Maia / FM 100 The SP PNG Hunters came out victorious at home against the Mackay Cutters with a 18-10 win in round seven of the hostplus cup in Port Moresby on Saturday. Hunters’ fullback Morea Morea continues to give himself every chance of making a Kumuls debut this year with a first half opener thanks to a towering kick from rookie five-eighth Joshua Mire causing Cutters an error. Jamie Mavoko added the two pointers, giving the hunters the first lead 28 mins into the first half. Benji Kot from the left centers breaks through the defense to score in 16 mins before half-time to increase the hunter lead. With Mavokos sideline conversion was unsuccessful, the Hunters could not add more to the board through-out the game with missed side-line conversions. Assistant Coach Paul Aiton said they are working against the clock to find a suitable goal kicker before the season reaches its peak. 11 minutes before Half-time Cutters Joshua Smith crossed over for the visitors, opening their account with 4 points. After a successful conversion by Brendan Finnegan, bringing the scores to 10-6 with cutter trailing 4 points behind. Hunters left side second row, Sherwin Tanabi encountered a possible shoulder-joint dislocation and was rushed to the Pacific International Hospital to do a scan.
Assistant Coach Paul Aiton said Tanabi's condition is serious but he hopes the results are not too bad. When the Hunters doubled up on their errors to gift Mackay another shot on their line, it looked like the visitors might take an early lead but again the Hunters defence held firm. Just 4 minutes before the half-time hooter, Hunters second row Julius Yakopa was put through a hole by Mavoko and had to score with his solid speed and a fan before landing in the try line. With the unsuccessful conversion, the teams went into the sheds for the halftime with 14-6 score-line. Cutters Right winger Flynn Camilleri was the beneficiary of cutters five-eight corner kick, flying above the Hunters defence to score an athletic four-pointer. With an unsuccessful conversion bringing the scores to 14-10 with hunters maintaining the lead in the second half. With a powerful defence by the home side, the Cutters only managed that lone try in the second half all through-out the game. The Hunters remained patient despite the territorial pressure and finally with just three tackles in Cutters zone, the inform Hunters centre Rodrick Tai crossed over on the right edge for an 18-10 lead. With the eight-point leading margin, the Hunters contained the grind and defended through till the siren went off. The Hunters held on until fulltime to claim their second win of the season. Meanwhile, Hunters Captain Ila Alu bagged the man of the match with an outstanding performance in the front for the home side. The hunters will have another home game in Port Moresby against the Ipswich Jets in Round Eight of the Hostplus Cup next weekend. Picture: Hunters fullback Morea Morea Also read Comments are closed.
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