Hunters Launched 2026 Season

The SP PNG Hunters officially launched their 2026 Queensland Hostplus Cup season on Friday, February 27th, at Port Moresby Nature Park. 

The Hunters launched a massive recruitment drive in the off-season, scouting new players and retaining experienced players from last season.

The SP Brewery-sponsored club dusted off the cobwebs with two strong preseason trials against the Northern Pride in Cairns and Ipswich Jets in Goroka, registering a win and tasting a loss.  

The Hunters reached the playoffs last season but fell short in the quarterfinals, with head coach Paul Aiton saying their goal this season hasn’t changed.

“Every year, every team wants to be in the finals, so that’s obviously our expectation as well - it’s an exciting expectation,” he said.

“We’ve got so many new boys who have different skill levels, so that’s probably exciting. I can’t wait for them to step out on the field and show us what they can do.”

Aiton added that the two trials help the coaching staff to identify the strengths and weaknesses of each player, and also help the players to build their combinations.

“The two trials were good. I think we got what we needed from both trials. We tried different combinations to identify what worked and didn’t work. We’ve assembled a 20-man squad for both trials,” he said.  

The former Kumul great explained that with the quality of talent they have, it leaves the spots up for grabs, giving the coaching staff options to select the best players to make the final cut.

“We have spaces available everywhere, with different combinations. We haven’t finalized the squad yet for round one because we have quality players. This shows that we have competitions for spots, which is exciting,” Aiton said. 

Eastern Highlands capital, Goroka, hosted a historic match for the first time against the visiting Ipswich Jets on Sunday (February 22nd), with Aiton describing the atmosphere as electric and memorable.

“Our visit to Goroka gave a new perspective for the players. I haven’t spoken to all the players individually about their feelings. However, I’m sure they felt the gravity of how big the brand is and what it means to the people and how much support they actually have outside of Port Moresby,” he expressed. 

“We’ve always wanted to host the game away, and finally we were able to do that. I think it was a special moment; a lot of the players had their families come to support them, so to be able to play in front of them (families and fans) meant a lot to the players.”

Coach Aiton thanked the Eastern Highlands Governor, Honorable Simon Sia, the National Sports Institute (NSI), security personnel, and the fans for hosting both the Hunters and Jets in Goroka, describing the event as “successful, peaceful, and memorable.”  

The Hunters’ mentor also acknowledged the sponsors, including the SP Brewery (naming rights sponsor), Newmont, PNG LNG, Trukai Industries, Air Niugini, Coca-Cola, K92 Mine, Hastings Deering PNG, Digicel, Kumul Petroleum Holdings Ltd, and WR Carpenters Group of Companies.

Excitement is building with only six days remaining before the proper season kicks off. The PNG Hunters will host the Central Queensland Capras in the opening round on Sunday, 8 March, at Santos National Football Stadium in Port Moresby.