Hunters must stay on track, as golden era beckons for PNG rugby league

Updated

Papua New Guinea's gold medal-winning performance in the rugby league nines at the Pacific Games provides further evidence of just how far the code has come in the country over the past two years, writes Richard Ewart.

The 15-man squad — made up predominantly of players from the PNG Hunters club side that has gone 10 matches without defeat in the Queensland Cup — was simply unstoppable.

Successive opponents from Tonga, Solomon Islands, Cook Islands, Samoa and Fiji hardly put a dent in the home defence, while at the other end PNG ran in try and after try.

You would go a long way to see a finer display of skill, speed and strength from a team in any football code.

And PNG was impressive not only on the field, but behind the scenes as well, demonstrating a level of professionalism the other teams couldn't match.

Wheelie bins converted into temporary ice baths were just part of the PNG team's cool-down routine after each game, and GPS trackers on each player ensured support staff knew exactly how each player was travelling.

"For the Hunters players this was really a recovery week, so we set out to make sure it felt like a recovery week and we didn't train too hard," the team's Australian strength and conditioning coach, Jason Tassell, said.

"We wanted them to be fresh for the Pacific Games, but we also wanted to make sure the players weren't going to be run down when they rejoined the Hunters' camp."

So despite coming off a light training regimen, and apparently going less than all out to take on the gold medal challenge at the Pacific Games, the PNG team ran over its rivals like a steamroller painted red, yellow and black.

All this is in stark contrast for a sport that barely two years ago was in disarray.

A court battle was raging over who was in charge, the domestic cup competition was in less than good shape and then there was a complete disaster for the national team, the Kumuls, at the World Cup in Britain.

Tassell brothers help turn team's fortunes

But then the Australian combination of Tassell and his brother Brad as CEO, became the driving force behind the birth of the Hunters.

The Queensland Rugby League agreed to take the team under their wing, and they have been winning hearts and minds ever since, with record crowds wherever they go.

And it's a tough ask for a team to take a plane trip to every away game, a trip that has been elongated while the Hunters remain in their temporary home of East New Britain.

The players have been warmly welcomed by the people of Kokopo, but captain Israel Eliab is looking forward to moving to the capital and playing in front of big crowds.

"I think it's going to be massive, especially for the boys from the islands, because their families and friends are in Moresby," he said.

"It can only strengthen our chances of making finals and doing well towards the end of the season."

You'll hear no complaints from the Hunters about their current circumstances.

And after a first season when they missed out narrowly on the play-offs, with seven games to go in season two, they're in second spot on the ladder and all but certain to make their first finals campaign.

In recent weeks, they have toppled ladder leaders Townsville Blackhawks in their own backyard, and the next best side, Ipswich Jets, so the odds are shortening on the Hunters actually winning the Queensland Cup.

If they can add that to the Pacific Games gold medal, you would expect celebrations in PNG to be long and loud.

So what could possibly go wrong?

Having never experienced finals footy before, the Hunters might cave. But recent performances suggest the team is getting stronger.

Coach Michael Marum says he has weeded out the disruptive influences from last season's team to leave behind a solid unit with a one-for-all and all-for-one mentality.

An emotional time as cracks appear

But off the field there are dark forces at work, dark forces that have already driven Brad and Jason Tassell out of their jobs in the face of a concerted campaign of hate mail and death threats.

Thankfully for the Hunters, Jason was persuaded to return and there are those who say he's the person who makes the team tick.

"It was a very emotional time but my brother wanted me to stay, and above all the players and Michael Marum wanted me to stay," Jason said.

"So I told them, I'll stay until the end of the season, but the only reason I'm staying is for you guys."

So who is it that wants to undo all the good work and knock the Hunters off course?

The finger is pointed at the rugby league old guard that divided the sport in PNG for years, culminating in the World Cup debacle.

And the actions of the Hunters' board and PNG RL are also under scrutiny, with no sign of a replacement for Brad as CEO being named, while those in the know suggest names that have been floated are not up to the task.

As long as the Hunters are allowed to prosper, rugby league in Papua New Guinea has every chance to thrive.

It would be alarmist to suggest the club is teetering on the brink, but there's no doubt outsiders who used to be on the inside of PNG rugby league want a piece of the action once again.

And no wonder after the Hunters made their debut in Port Moresby last month, playing their Queensland Cup match against Souths Logan Magpies.

Sports minister Justin Tkatchenko says tickets for the match sold out in just eight hours, and the Hunters will return to play their last three matches of the home and away season at the same venue.

However the Queensland Rugby League is well aware of the Hunters' worth: quite simply PNG's presence means money in the bank for the competition and the Queensland clubs, as record numbers of fans flow through their turnstiles.

And on their travels to play the Hunters at The Graveyard in Kokopo, club presidents have been effusive in their praise of the PNG experience and the impact it has had on their players, not just as a game of rugby league, but as a cultural experience.

They want more of that, they want the Hunters to prosper, and those factors alone might prove to be a mighty defence against the PNG old guard if they should try to bring the club down.

But to be absolutely sure, the club needs good governance, and it needs more financial support because the operation is an expensive one.

Moving to Port Moresby full time should reduce operating costs, but the club also wants to spread the gospel by taking home matches to cities like Lae and Mount Hagen.

As long as the Hunters are allowed to prosper, rugby league in Papua New Guinea has every chance to thrive.

If the Hunters go down, the country may never get such a chance again, and the long-held dream of a place in Australia's National Rugby League would surely be gone for good.

Topics: sport, rugby-league, papua-new-guinea, pacific

First posted