The SP PNG Hunters will play their second home game this Saturday at 3pm when they take on the Brisbane Tigers in Round 3 of the QRL Hostplus Cup. Their return to Port Moresby this season following a challenging relocation period on Queensland’s Gold Coast is a major boost for the club as they look to continue what is a promising start to the year. The pride and passion of Hunters fans in Papua New Guinea is well renowned and the Hunters will be looking to give them something to cheer for in their first home game of 2023. There is an added level of intrigue about Saturday’s match with Brisbane Tigers Head Coach Matt Church returning to the Santos National Football System (NFS) to face his old club for the first time. The star of the show has undoubtedly been rookie fullback Morea Morea. He is lighting up the QRL stage in 2023 with one try, two try assists and an average 123 running meters across his first two games, providing the Hunters with silky speed and fancy footwork. Morea wasn’t the only Hunters lighting up the highlights reel in Round 2 though, as Hunters five-eighth Sakias Komati scored a double to announce himself in the Hostplus Cup competition. SP PNG Hunters Head Coach Stanley Tepend said that the team’s focus remains inward following a promising start to the season. “For us, we haven’t changed too much this week,” said Tepend. “It’s only Round 3, early in the season. We’re not focussing too much on our opposition each week, just looking inward and working on ourselves and where we can improve.” “Although it was disappointing to come away with the draw last week, I think taking three points from our first two away games, is positive for us. We’re still a relatively new side – a lot of guys have made the step up from Digicel Cup this season and are learning what it takes to be successful at this level.” “We’re satisfied with how we’ve started but there’s still a lot of work to do and areas we can improve on.” Tepend said the playing squad and staff are looking forward to playing in front of a home crowd this weekend. “We’ll be using NFS to our advantage this week, for sure. Playing in front of our family and friends is going to be a special feeling,” said the coach. “For the players, it’s what they’ve been working towards coming through the Digicel Cup. They’ve always wanted to be a Hunter at NFS and they get their chance on Saturday. The boys are excited.” Team List 1. Morea Morea 2. Brandon Nima 3. Benji Kot 4. Rodrick Tai 5. Solo Wane 6. Sakias Komati 7. Jamie Mavoko 8. Junior Rop 9. Wesser Tenza 10. Epel Kapinias 11. Sherwin Tanabi 12. Julius Yakopa 13. Ila Alu (captain) 14. Judah Rimbu 15. Tom Moide 16. Henry Noki 17. Joshua Mire 18. Junior Igila 22. Trevor Solu