Hunters to Host First Home Game

The Queensland Rugby League (QRL) Hostplus Cup resumed its 2025 season to a horror start three weeks ago due to Cyclone Alfred’s impacts in the southern part of Queensland and northern New South Wales, which disrupted the opening round. 

The round 1 disruption had a toll on the Hunters, where they performed poorly in round 2 against the Falcons, had a break last week, and anticipate to host round 4 on Sunday, March 30th, and redeem themselves at the Santos National Football Stadium in Port Moresby. 

Paul Aiton’s men suffered a huge loss (28-6) to the red-hot Falcons a week ago in Sunshine Coast. The Hunters struggled to gel with the new halves pairing of Jamie Mavoko and Gairo Voro, including a few changes in the backline and the forwards department, as well as the unleashing of three debutantes.          

Coach Aiton has time and again stressed the importance of adhering to the basics and playing simple footy as a team. Either Aiton’s simple coaching philosophy has fallen on deaf ears or the players are not comprehending the given instructions. 

The PNG Hunters’ round 2 line-up to face the Brisbane Tigers at PNG’s spiritual home of rugby league (NFS) remains unchanged, except with the inclusion of debutantes, Lynchill Kiap and Manisa Kai, replacing Morea Morea Jr and Clent Lama. 

Mr. Aiton wants his men to keep things simple and compete for 80 minutes - make fewer errors, be disciplined, communicate on the field, complete their sets - and play according to the game plan. If the players could stick to the fundamentals and be attuned, the result would come easily. 

The Hunters have this tendency of starting the season poorly and picking up their form in the middle of the season, which is a grave cause for concern. With the advantage of hosting the visiting Brisbane Tigers in front of a bumper crowd, the players must rise to the challenge and impose their presence.