The Weekly Gripe – Where are the PNG Hunters TV Games?

Just two rounds to go in the Intrust Super Cup regular season and with the season nearly over the question is Where are the PNG Hunters TV Games?

Yes the weekly gripe returns to allow us to have a quick weekly moan about something, and this week we turn our attention to the lack of PNG Hunters TV games.

There have been 22 Rounds so far, and so far zero PNG Hunters TV games have been shown on Channel Nein.

So that’s the reigning premiers, and one of the more interesting rugby league teams in Australia with zero FTA TV games this year.

Imagine if the reigning premiers of the NRL failed to get a game on FTA TV the following season. Although there’s a chance of that happening if the NZ Warriors won the competition, they would still get a token State of Origin game.

We can presume that it has something to do with TV rights in PNG, but that is PNG not Australia, and surely rugby league fans in Queensland deserve to see the reigning premiers play.

Last year we had live streaming for PNG Hunters away games, this year nothing.

Or perhaps like the 2015 when the PNG Hunters were outrageously denied a home preliminary final due to no one wanting to pay the bill for the coverage from Port Moresby it’s all about money, and the lack of using it to support PNG rugby league. Enough money is made out of State of Origin to cover at least one of the  PNG Hunters TV games. And if you are happy enough to have them in the competition, and pat yourself on the back when they won the premiership, perhaps showing a little more support is needed.

Or just maybe Channel Nein, like the NRL, don’t really care about PNG rugby league. Channel Nein showed their depth of knowledge, interest in the Intrust Super Cup and professionalism with their treatment of Dave Taylor from Saturday’s TV game between the Central Capras and the Ipswich Jets. Yes the larger than life character is a little larger than in his NRL days, but the complete pig ignorance shown toward Dave Taylor is one the reasons that people are turning to Fox League for all of their rugby league.

No surprise the only mention the Intrust Super Cup would get on any Nein Footy Show would be negative, and a surprise if any of them could tell you where the Capras play their home games.

Enough of the Lowest Common Denominator that is Channel Nein (Peter Psaltis, Scott Sattler and co excluded of course), and back onto the subject.

Where are the PNG Hunters TV Games then?

Sure their form has been up and down this season, mostly up in their current run to the finals, but form is not a big consideration for the Intrust Super Cup TV games given the mount of Capras and Mackay games in the last few months

They currently sit sixth so are a good chance of making the playoffs, so surely that will be the time to show them. The Northern Pride sitting fourth means it is a great chance of the Hunters finish sixth, as it will be either Redcliffe, Townsville or Burleigh in 3rd, and being closer than Cairns will probably be the TV game. If it is another case of no PNG Hunters TV Games, then it is definitely not a coincidence.

The lack of coverage means the rugby league world is missing out on the Boas brothers, the rising star that is Nixon Putt, same for Junior Rau, and the ever popular and winner of Gurgler Person of the Year Willie Minoga.

One looks to the NSW based Intrust Super Premiership in 2018 with envy. We see three televised games a week, two on pay TV and one on FTA. The Queensland based Intrust Super Cup relies on just one game a week at the hands of Channel Nein, and the hard work of local providers with the occasional live stream.

Hopefully with a new season ahead the QRL can get a deal as good as their counterparts, where we have multiple games to watch each weekend.

Maybe Fox Sports might be interested and become the saviours of rugby league in Australia. Again.

Whatever the excuse, let’s hope something can be worked out for next season, as it stinks.