The SP PNG Hunters are tremendously proud to announce that their very own Hunter #92, Judah Rimbu, has been crowned the 2024 QRL Hostplus Cup Player of the Year. Rimbu’s received the Petero Civoniceva Medal on Friday 20th September at the Queensland Rugby League Awards in Brisbane’s Town Hall, besting a host of NRL talent including the likes of Trai Fuller, Jake Clifford and Tom Chester. Rimbu’s journey with the Hunters began in 2021 when the club was forced to relocate to the Gold Coast due to the COVID pandemic. Since then, he has amassed 69 appearances in the QRL Hostplus Cup to quickly establish himself as a senior member of the SP PNG Hunters playing group. Rimbu has displayed wonderful utility value since making his debut four years ago, proving himself an eager learner, a keen student of the game and a wonderful clubman during a challenging growth period for the club. Closing out the 2024 QRL Hostplus Cup regular season as the club’s first-choice hooker and a key contributor in their finals campaign, Rimbu’s scintillating form this year has come as no surprise to those who have followed his journey. From a total 23 games this season, Rimbu posted 16 tries (fourth most in the QRL) and assisted another five to comfortably rank as one of the most productive attacking players in the competition. An average 82 running metres (and 91 tackle busts; fourth most in the QRL) per game is testament to Rimbu’s contributions in yardage, while his 726 total tackles (also fourth most) at a 94% efficiency speaks to Rimbu’s tireless efforts on both sides of the ball. SP PNG Hunters CEO Scott Barker was pleased to see Rimbu recognized by his peers. “On behalf of the SP PNG Hunters, I’d like to congratulate Judah on his outstanding 2024 campaign,” said Barker. “While the Hunters' success this year has absolutely been a whole-club effort, Judah has been pivotal to that success and we’re pleased to see him recognized today.”