SP PNG Hunters Suffer Embarrassing 32-Point Drubbing by Dolphins

The SP PNG Hunters were brought crashing back down to earth in brutal fashion at the Santos National Football Stadium, falling to a humiliating 32-0 defeat at the hands of a relentless Dolphins side in Round 20 action.

The scoreline tells a grim tale for the home fans, as the Hunters were unable to post a single point on the board, while their opponents ran in six unanswered tries. It was a performance devoid of attacking spark and defensive resolve, leaving the local faithful in stunned silence.

The Dolphins took control immediately, with Kyle Coghill scoring in the 7th minute and Joshua James converting to put the Hunters on the back foot early. The home side struggled to complete their sets, and it wasn't long before Sam Elliott crossed in the 32nd minute, giving the Dolphins a 12-point buffer heading into the sheds at the break.

Whatever was said in the Hunters’ dressing room at halftime clearly didn't work, as Jaron Purcell went over just 45 seconds into the second half. The Dolphins piled on the misery with tries to Jake Averillo and two to Joven Gyemore late in the game, while James added the extras on four occasions.

"It’s definitely a low point," said Hunters coach Paul Aiton. "We knew they were a good side, but we didn’t do the simple things right. We lost the battle in the middle and it cost us the game."