I saw the last ten minutes of the game at the Trinity Hotel in Sydney's Surry Hills, in the company of scores of screaming Sydneysiders, and a handful of sophisticated people from the French consulate. I must say that the PNG Hunters were impressive on the day, and they can still improve!

Fiji are looking into doing this too.
On the face of it you wouldn't think Fiji would have the local talent to compete at this level, but if they drafted in players like Groome, Vunakece, Wes Naiqama and others who play at this level in other sides they could make a very competitive side and introduce players to Australian competition.

Where would Fiji RL find $2million a year?

Quote JB Down Under="JB Down Under"Where would Fiji RL find $2million a year?'" www.mailife.com.fj/vodafone-rene ... onsorship/ Deals like this with Vodafone will certainly help.

Quote JB Down Under="JB Down Under"Where would Fiji RL find $2million a year?'" www.mailife.com.fj/vodafone-rene ... onsorship/ Deals like this with Vodafone will certainly help.

Still a big gap that they would find impossible to fill financially at the moment. They would be a good 10 years plus away from coming close to having enough qland cup standard players to form a team. Be good to see eventually though.

Unlike PNG, Fiji has a thriving tourism industry, and it would pay for them to encourage sports tourism. Even if they were just encouraging the 50k Fijians living in Australia to travel home more often.
In short, it would take a government grant to get it happening and that isn't out of the question at all.
As to player strength, the local comp couldn't produce a competitive side right now, but if you could get all the Fijian talent in the lower grades in Australia to commit they could win the qld cup this year - and putting the two sources together - they could get a side together that would do the job and have unlimited potential for improvement.
Players like Marika Koroibete and Etu Nabuli show that there are guys over there who just need some coaching and some competition and they can quickly rise to NRL standard.
It wouldn't be easy to get this happening, but it is far from impossible.

Hunters won their first ever home game today, surprised to see the ground not that full.

Editorial in "The National" newspaper, calling the Hunters a rallying call for the nation. www.thenational.com.pg/?q=node/65096 Might seem a bit over the top to us, but for a country that has never had sporting success at anything, if they go on to win the Qld cup this year the whole country will go nuts.

Editorial in "The National" newspaper, calling the Hunters a rallying call for the nation. www.thenational.com.pg/?q=node/65096 Might seem a bit over the top to us, but for a country that has never had sporting success at anything, if they go on to win the Qld cup this year the whole country will go nuts.

Can't find any mention of the shop that was selling tickets and ran out, so it was torched by the public. Not in any papers anywhere.

Dion Aiye, the PNG Kumuls 5/8 from the world cup, has joined the Hunters.
I think that takes it up to 9 Kumuls in the squad.

WHAT


Headline news....surely



This is like the FL Conference in soccer accepting Luxemburg to their comp......a worthy gesture but nothing more.

Round 3 result

PNG HUNTERS 46 (George Benson 2, Noel Zemming 2, Adex Wera, Thompson Teteh, Roger Laka, Willie Minoga tries; Noel Zemming 6, Roger Laka goals) def CQ CAPRAS 14 (Rhys Williams 2, Grant Rogers tries; Theeran Pearson goal) at Kalabond Oval, Kokopo.