By GABRIEL KATUHO
PNG HUNTERS’ head coach Paul Aiton has hailed two of his players for reaching their 100th and 50th games this weekend against Central Queensland Capras in Australia.
Aiton said this would be a special game for the team when they will celebrate team captain Ila Alu for his 100th game and Jordan Patt for reaching his 50th game with the PNG team.
“It’s a really big occasion, not many boys have Hundred games and little earned 50 as well so it’ good for the both players and its good it’s on the same day. They have been in our leading pack for the whole season so I am really happy for both players,” he said.
Aiton acknowledged his skipper for having the characteristics of a born leader.
“I think it mean a lot to him, to the team and myself as a coach,” he said.
“It is good to have him in the squad and he is someone that I am depended on. He is part of that leadership group and he leads others as well so I am lucky to have the leader like him.”
With Round 17 of the Queensland Hostplus Cup being a special round for the Hunters’ pack, Aiton is looking at keeping the same structure as last weekend.
“The way we attack our structure in general stays the same and I guess that’s short of proves how tough we are as a group,” he stated.
“We try to complete the reshuffle of the halves and we were still able to win games. It was not done on purpose it was just that I felt the combination was not working for us and how we want to move forward.”
Aiton will keep the same line up for this weekend’s game with Graham Rex included on the eighteenth man for the round 17.
“It’s always a really tough game, I know it’s a big game for the Papua New Guinea players in Capras and Hunters,” he said.