By GABRIEL KATUHO
THE SP PNG Hunters hope to finish the Hostplus Cup 2026 season on a high note with the last two away games.
Hunters have had their worst season of the QLD Hostplus Cup competition this year with 15 loses and three wins from the 18 games played.
Assistant Coach Enoch Maki has praised the players for their performance despite the results throughout the year saying this year was a development year for the young team.
“We have lost a lot of games and last week’s game was very good. After a while to get the win and we were so excited,” Maki said.
He said the Hunters victory last weekend really motivated the team to finish off the season with the last two games on a high note.
“Nothing changes, we are just focusing on our preparations, we want to finish the season on a high note, and we want to get the last two wins,” Maki said.
Maki said changes in the team every week due to injuries had affected the Hunters results causing the team to trail at the bottom of the ladder.
“You will hardly see consistency in our team this season that is why it is affecting our performances but from game one
until now we are seeing many positive things even though we are losing,” he said.
“There are difficulties and hardships in terms of games but we are seeing growth and improvements from the young team that we have this season,” he added.
Experience is one thing that let Hunters down this season but Coach Maki said playing with the teams that have players who had NRL experiences helps the young players to build their confidence.
He said the coaching staff role was to ensure that the team is well prepared to play every week but lack of Hostplus cup game time and experience has let the team down for this season.
“We are confident going forward next year when most of the new boys have game experiences then we will get there,” he said.
Hunters will play the competition leaders, the Sunshine Coast Falcons and Maki is confident the boys are ready for the challenge.
“Preparation has been good this week, lots of energy, lots of talk in our sessions so we are prepared for the challenge,” he concluded.