Sport: PNG Hunters eye top six as playoffs race heats up

The Papua New Guinea Hunters rugby league team could end the weekend in a playoff position for the first time this season, if results go their way.

The defending Intrust Super Cup champions are ninth in the overall standings with five rounds to play.

Wins over the Northern Pride and Norths Devils have drawn the Hunters level on 20 points with the Magpies, Tigers and Falcons, who occupy sixth through eight place.

A win against third-placed Burleigh in Port Moresby tomorrow could lift them as high as fifth and Bears coach Jimmy Lenihan said every game right now is tough.

"You have to be playing really good football - if you're a couple of percent off you're in danger of losing, no matter if you're playing side number one or side number 14. It's a crazy competition and two or three wins in a row can really give you some movement in the table but likewise two or three losses in a row can really hurt your place on the table as well" Jimmy Lenihan said.

"(It's) very competitive, anything can happen and with five games left I think anyone who's still on 20 points or higher are more than a chance to make the finals."

Burleigh had lost four of five games before beating the Central Queensland Capras last weekend, while the Hunters beat Norths Devils to seal back to back wins for the first time in two months.

The Bears prevailed 34-18 when the teams last met in April but Jimmy Lenihan said the Hunters always rise to the occasion at home.

"It's certainly one of the hardest road trips. I'm not sure exactly the stats but the Hunters don't drop too many at home and they won quite comfortably I think on the weekend against Norths at Lae so it's certainly a bit of a tough road trip - one that we're sort of looking forward to try and take on. It would really be a positive thing for our season if we could go to Port Moresby this weekend and come away with a win," Mr Lenihan said.

Jimmy Lenihan said having Kumuls international Luke Page in the Burleigh team has brought the two clubs closer together.

"The last few times we've been to PNG or vice versa they've come here we've probably got together off the field socially as well and having Pagey there being a bit of a liaison between the two teams makes it easy for both sides to feel really comfortable with each other and it's quite enjoyable. Michael (Marum, the Hunters coach) and I get on quite well and it's always a pleasant game playing against the Hunters, it's just one both sides really want to win this weekend to try and keep their season on track," he said.