The Papua New Guinea Hunters rugby league team are hoping to leave it all out on the field this weekend, when they play their final match in the 2021 Intrust Super Cup season.
The PNG Hunters have relocated to Queensland for the 2021 season. Photo: Scott Davis / QRL
The Hunters edged past the Central Queensland Capras to claim a 22-20 victory last week, but coach Matt Church said they need to do better when they go up against the fourth-placed Tweed Seagulls at Bycroft Oval on Saturday.
"We snuck home [last weekend], but it didn't feel like a winning feeling in the dressing shed after the match," he said.
"I think 12 out of 15 games, we've either led or been within two tries of our our opposition at the 60th minute mark, so we want to put in a good performance this weekend and we want to be proud of how we finish and and how we go home."
The Hunters have another reason to play their best on Saturday, with PNG international Enock Maki playing his 100th game for the team.
The long-time stalwart has been a key player to help lead the Hunters this season, and will become the fourth player to reach the 100-game milestone.
Church said the Hunters are determined to put in a strong performance, to honor his commitment.
PNG International Enock Maki is set to play his 100th game for the Hunters on Saturday. Photo: Frostyferris
"I've been trying to get into the boys heads all year that if it means something to one of us, it should mean something to all of us."
"We need to put in a strong performance to honor the commitment that Enock has shown towards the Hunters. He's getting to the twilight of his career now, so there's certainly a lot of young guys that look up to him and look for him to lead the way. He's showed them what it takes to be a good Hunter."
The PNG Hunters relocated to Australia to compete in the Queensland Cup, some of them leaving home for the very first time.
Church said it's been a challenging season, but it's one that has set them up for years to come.
"The challenges of living in a different country and I think about 11 of our guys have never been out of PNG before, let alone lived in another country, so it's one of those things that we just had to adapt and overcome and certainly one of those experiences that we'll be better for."
"The guys that do return next year, I'm assuming that's going to be a very similar path to what we have done this year, and so we should be ahead of it and we should be able to learn from all the challenges that we've had to overcome."
The experience of living away from home will make is easier for them to settle in next season, he added.
"It's always the challenge of the unknown but now that they've been through it and they know what to expect, they know what life is like in southeast Queensland, they will certainly come back with a better mindset and it's always easier to attack something when you've had some experience."
The PNG Hunters are in the Intrust Super Cup top four. Photo: Vanessa Hafner / QRL
The Intrust Super Cup Finals are now scheduled to begin on the weekend of 18 and 19 September, with the Grand Final pencilled in for the weekend of 9 and 10 October.
The 2021 grand final is now scheduled for the weekend of 9 and 10 October at Redcliffe's Moreton Daily Stadium.
The PNG Hunters are looking to return home next Wednesday.
