Hunters rebound, taking revenge on Blackhawks

The SP PNG Hunters roared back to life after smashing the Townsville Blackhawks with a resounding 34-16 win in the Queensland Hostplus Cup round 16 clash on Sunday, July 6th, 2025, at Santos National Football Stadium in Port Moresby. 

During their earlier encounter in round 10 at Townsville’s Jack Manski Oval, the home ground advantage helped the Blackhawks cruise past the Hunters, registering a 36-26 victory over the fast-finishing SP Brewery-sponsored club. 

Tasting three straight losses and desperate to stay in the top 6, the Hunters did a soul-searching during their bye last week and came with a renewed focus in round 16, thumping the visiting Blackhawks and exacting revenge on them at home soil. 

The table-topping Blackhawks exerted their dominance in the opening 20 minutes of play, with Dudley Dotoi scoring the first try in the 9th minute, followed by Tyrone Gunn-James in the 16th minute, giving the visitors a 12-0 lead. 

Undeterred by the lead, Judah Rimbu’s brilliance in the 21st minute swung the momentum and sparked the Hunters’ attack, which saw the hosts score two tries in the following sets through Khaiya Waiembi and Douglas David, leapfrogging the Blackhawks with a 16-12 margin at the interval. 

Paul Aiton’s men maintained their ascendancy in the second half and shut down the competition leaders. Substitute player Gairo Voro extended the Hunters’ lead in the 48th minute, followed by Sanny Wabo’s double, and Dudley Dotoi scored a consolation try for the visitors to end the thrilling match. 

Coach Paul Aiton was impressed with the win, saying: “We spoke about turning up for each other and that’s what the boys did today. We just had to brush up on a few things and have trust in each other.”

Aiton gave credit to the players and praised the former Central Queensland Capras rampaging forward Khaiya Waiembi, who made his debut for the Hunters after a mid-season transfer between him and Morea Morea Jr. 

He also thanked the fans for their continued support and urged them to turn up in droves the following weekend (round 18) when the PNG Hunters host the Ipswich Jets at the Santos National Football Stadium. 

The SP Brewery-sponsored PNG Hunters will travel to Rockhampton this week to face the Central Queensland Capras in the QRL Hostplus Cup round 17 fixture at Rugby Park Rockhampton on Saturday, July 12th.