THE SP PNG Hunters are determined to defend the Kokoda Cup as they prepare for a crucial Round 7 clash against the Burleigh Bears in the Hostplus Cup this weekend in Gold Coast, Australia.
Coach Paul Aiton (pictured) noted the significance of the Kokoda trophy, which the Hunters have only won twice in 11 years.
“We won it last year and brought it here. I just reminded the boys to look at it and realise how much this means to both teams,” Aiton said.
He acknowledged the atmosphere in Burleigh, calling it “a really big event” and anticipating a tough contest.
The Hunters enter the match buoyed by a strong win over the Ipswich Jets last weekend.
Aiton confirmed the squad has recovered well despite the physical toll of that game.
“I think the fitness levels are good. They were just a little bit sore after that weekend’s game. It was a pretty long, tough game right to the last minute, so we just had to look after them a little bit this week,” he explained.
Minor lineup changes include Elijah Rotinga being rested to recover from a knee issue, while Koso Bandi will start in the front row and Clent Lama moves to the bench.
Defence remains the Hunters’ top priority. “We speak a lot about it, we train for it every week. If we can improve our defence, it’ll really help us in every other part,” Aiton said.
He also praised rising star Bruce Bawase, who scored a hat-trick last week.
“He’s only coming up to his seventh game now but he’s learning a lot and I’ve seen him grow very quickly in the game,” Aiton noted.
Player representative Josh Mire reinforced the team’s focus on sticking to their game plan.
“We will just stick to our structure, simple game plans the coach wants us to execute,” Mire said.
He added that consistency is key.
“We’ve been inconsistent after big games in the past, so we worked on that and we’ll maintain the momentum we built last week.”
