SP PNG Hunters coach Paul Aiton believes his side's lack of experience and poor decision-making at crucial moments proved costly in their 22-12 loss to the Burleigh Bears at Santos National Football Stadium, in R13 of the QRL Hostplus Cup on Sunday.
The Bears crossed for five tries to two to claim the victory, but Aiton felt the Hunters had created enough opportunities to win the match.
"We put ourselves in a position to win that game again. We blew a lot of opportunities and made a lot of silly decisions on the field, but it all comes down to experience," Aiton said after the match.
The Hunters matched the Bears for much of the contest and went into halftime locked at 12-12 after tries to Trevor Solu and Joel Gena, with Trevor Solu and Jamie Mavoko converting successful conversions.
However, the visitors pulled away in the second half through tries to Ryan Foran and Lee Turner Rau, who finished with a double, while Guy Hamilton’s penalty goal further extended Burleigh's advantage.
Aiton pointed to moments when players abandoned the game plan as a key factor in the defeat.
He said, "When we were doing what we were trying to do, we looked really good. As soon as individuals started playing by themselves, that's when we started to fall apart, unfortunately."
The former international believes his young squad is still developing and will benefit from more experience at Hostplus Cup level.
"Some of those young players get a few more games under their belt; they'll probably know when to kick, when to pass the ball and when not to," Aiton said.
The Hunters coach said the team would review the performance and continue working on maintaining discipline and structure throughout matches.
"We'll go back, reassess, review it again and keep hammering those lessons until we're all on the same page," he said.
Despite the disappointing result, Aiton thanked the Hunters faithful, who continue to turn out in strong numbers despite the team's challenging season.
"Every week it's great. There's more and more people coming to support us and it gives me a good feeling because they want to win too," he said.
"They're here to support the team and we want to win for them as well. We all want the same thing and we're hoping next week we can get that win for the fans."
Aiton acknowledged the club is currently undergoing a transition period but assured supporters the team remains committed to improving and delivering results.
"We appreciate all the supporters who are always behind us every week. Keep supporting us and we'll get that win for you."
