By GABRIEL KATUHO
THE SP PNG Hunters winger Douglas David has been named to take up the fullback role for the Hostplus round 22 match against the Sunshine Coast Falcons on Saturday at, Sunshine Coast Stadium, Australia.
David moves in after Fullback Sanny Wabo sustained injury in the round 21 game against the Western Clydesdales last weekend in Port Moresby.
While the status of the injury is yet to be made public by the medical teams, Wabo and other four players were ruled out of tomorrow’s game, forcing Head Coach Paul Aiton to bring in David for the position.
Wabo was cleared from an injury he sustained earlier and boosted the team’s performance that resulted in the victory last weekend. He however sustained another injury during the game and was ruled out on medical grounds.
During an interview with David yesterday at the Santos National Football Stadium, he expressed his confidence on taking the role.
“I am ready for the challenge and I will try to build my old style of game for the team and help us to get the win,” he said.
“Sanny is a huge part of our team, he is the X-factor of our team but he is injured so I think it is my time to take the responsibility,” he added.
Recapping on last weekend’s round, David said the win was a boost for the team.
“It is very reliving to get the win, we tried it in the couple of weeks and fall short but last week it was reliving as a group to get the win in front of the home fans and the old boys,” he said.
Reflecting on the Queensland Hostplus Cup season 2026, David said it has been a very tough year but personally, it was all about getting to know the game more.
He said consistency was his goal for this year; however, injuries have shattered his aim. David further stated that this year from round one up to the seasons’ end was a year of growth and added experience for the Hunters winger and full back as he looks to end the season positively.
He encouraged fellow Hunters to remain positive and take this year as a development year for the team.
David said once the new players get more game time, they would turn to understand the game, its level and how the Hostplus cup team play.
He said there were many positive comments from the Hunters Old boys last weekend that helped them to remain strong.
“They said when they won the grand final in 2017, it was not easy. It was the same process as ours, they were all positive and they said to learn from this and come back stronger next year,” he said.