Big news for PNG Hunters fans this week as fan favourite Willie Minoga joined the PNG Hunters Player Exodus for 2019.
The bullocking second rower / centre is off to Barrow for 2019 – a side in the second tier Championship in the UK. And he won’t be alone. In the UK or at Barrow.
We have already declared this week to be Willie Minoga Appreciation Week.
Willie Minoga, known by the equally heavy-duty and deserved nicknames of Mack Truck or Freight Train will join fellow PNG players Wartovo Puara and Stargroth Amean at Barrow in 2019.
The case of Stargroth Amean is slightly peculiar, as he actually left the Hunters mid-season to concentrate on his studies.
But the Barrow trio aren’t the only ones who are part of the PNG Hunters Player Exodus, the Boas brothers are off to Featherstone for 2019. This was a little shock, slightly more than the shock of why no one in Australian rugby league circles had enough foresight to take on Ase Boas after his magic 2017.
That is the problem I guess. Despite all the gloss of the Hunters Intrust Super Cup Premiership win, and very encouraging performance as a nation at the Rugby League World Cup, there were no more opportunities.
Who could blame them for leaving.
A curious case is the Hunters pair Edene Gebbie (who was an outstanding find in 2018) and the very consistent Rahdly Brawa moving to the Wynnum Seagulls for 2019. It seems strange to move from one Intrust Super Cup to another, however Wynnum’s link (amongst other clubs) with the Broncos should be a real drawcard for aspiring NRL players.
It has been proven that staying with the Hunters will not get you into the NRL, so who could blame anyone moving to another Intrust Super Cup for a crack at the NRL. Only one Intrust Super Cup club doesn’t have direct feeder program – the PNG Hunters.
SO IS THE PNG HUNTERS PLAYER EXODUS A GOOD THING? YES.
The first good thing is that even though it is not directly to the NRL or only a second division English club, it is a progression for each player career wise. All have proven their worth to the Hunters and PNG rugby league, so all should be supported in their quest to scale the heights of rugby league.
Hopefully if successful it will tempt other PNG players to strive for more excellence on the field, and with potentially more eyes n the PNG rugby league players than usual thanks to the recent recruitment, it could become a great career pathway. If you can stand the cold.
Another positive impact further down the food chain is the players who will take over from the departed.
While the new players could hardly replace the quality of the like of Ase Boas, Stargroth Amean, and Willie Minoga, they will get more opportunities than ever before.
That brings us to one of the last positive points,
For most in 2014 outside of PNG, all of the Hunters players were unknown, so with PNG Hunters Player Exodus it means an exciting new time at the beginning of next season as we get to know the new players. A new Willie Minoga may be just waiting from the local PNG competition, and that pathway is the point of the Hunters in the first place.
BUT MAYBE NOT
One worry of the PNG Hunter player exodus is that there’s a worry that PNG Hunters players could give up on there being much of a chance to make the NRL. History has proven that Hunters players find it almost impossible to break through.
Hopefully the lack of opportunities doesn’t discourage those potential rugby league superstars in Papua New Guinea from joining the Hunters system.
While there is still immense pride to be playing for the PNG Hunters, that carrot of an NRL pathway seem further away than ever. The Hunters remain a great shop front window for rugby league clubs, but it seem like only the northern hemisphere is truly interested.
Why an NRL hasn’t hooked up with the Hunters is still beyond our comprehension, having a giant rugby league nation as a resource that could work for both.
IS IT ANYONE’S FAULT?
Not really.
Michael Marum remains a polarizing figure, sometimes carrying the blame for all of the Hunters ills, sometimes being defended in a big way. But he has done a very good job, with the Premiership won in 2017, and this latest PNG Hunters player exodus is not the first since their inception in 2014. Although this off-season transfers seems to be the highest profile departures than previous. It remains to be seen whether Marum can create another competitive side.
NRL could do more to encourage some kind of formal alliance with an NRL club. That would surely help the PNG Hunters players get a taste of NRL.
Or perhaps the NRL could ensure that some of the Hunters games are televised in 2019 (Zero in 2018 as Minor premiers). This could give the NRL clubs a chance to sample some of the best of PNG rugby league.
ALL THE BEST
Finally, we would liek to wish those in the PNG Hunters Player Exodus the best of luck, sadly we won’t see them running around in Queensland next year, but perhaps on the occasional broadcast.
We’ll be following as ever.
For selfish reasons we hope there aren’t too many more.
For PNG rugby league we hope there are plenty.
