PNG Hunters eliminated after falling to Sunshine Coast Falcons

A determined Sunshine Coast Falcons outfit  have ended the Papua New Guinea Hunters final hopes with a 18 - 12 elimination final  win at the National Football Stadium in Port Moresby on Sunday afternoon. The  lose means, it is also the  end of  the Hunters unbeaten run at the venue this season.


The Falcons took a 6-4 lead at half-time. Thomas Murphy dummied and ducked his way past three Hunters defenders to score near the posts. The score was 6-0 after Joe Stimmon conversion was successful. The Hunters  replied with a try  before half time when Ase Boas put a grubber kick through to the wing of Butler Morris who picked it up to score.  Zeming missed the conversion and they trailed 6 - 4 at half-time.

In the second half, the Hunters were starved of possession  and had to do a lot of defending.

The Falcons lead was pushed out to 10-4 in the 55th minute when quick hands sent Samuel Wright flying over on the wing.

The Falcons found the try line again just after the restart through Ryley Jacks who was put through a gap and ran away to score under the posts.

Joe Stimson gave his side a comfortable 16-4 lead adding the extras.

But the Hunters fought back and in the 66th minute and scored out wide through Butler Morris who was too big and too strong to stop charging down the wing.

This lifted the Hunters and turned the game right around with all the momentum in their favour.

The Falcons sensed danger and when presented with an opportunity to get more points, they took it.

With the Hunters giving away a penalty right in front of the uprights, Stimson wasted no time opting to kick and was successful leaving the score at 18-8.

 With 6 minutes remaining on the clock, it looked all but over for the Hunters.

 The Hunters showed their fighting spirit and Morris crossed for his third try of the match in the 77th minute.

Ase Boas attempt to convert the try was unsuccessful but the pressure was clearly now back on the Falcons.

All three attempts to convert Morris’ tries were unsuccessful (0/2 to Noel Zeming, 0/1 to Ase Boas).

But the Falcons held on to win the match and advance onto week 2 of the finals of the Intrust Super Cup competition.

The lose means the Hunters are out of the finals.  Kumuls Coach Michael Marum will now be looking at putting many of the Hunters players in the Prime Ministers 13s match  against the Australian team that will be captained by Greg Inglis on September 24.