The Papua New Guinea Hunters rugby league team are nursing a few sore bodies but grateful to back on the field and doing what they love.
The PNG Hunters have relocated to Queensland for the 2021 Intrust Super Cup season. Photo: Jim O'Reilly/QRL
The team came from 16 points down to lose 20-18 in their Intrust Super Cup season opener against Wynnum Manly Seagulls on Saturday.
The hit-out came less than two weeks after the squad completed 31 days in quarantine, after relocating to Australia for the 2021 season.
Coach Matt Church said it had been a long journey over the past four months to get the team back on the field.
"They're all representing their country as well as representing the Hunters and they know it's something that can be looked highly upon back home and we're all acutely aware of what's going on back home as well," he said.
"To be able to provide a couple of hours entertainment on a weekend or a Saturday for our loving fans back home, and maybe just a little bit of normality, is something that we all look forward to doing."
The Hunters' season opener at Bycroft Oval also marked their first experience playing under a set of new rules designed to speed the game up.
The changes included the introduction of a two-point field goal for kicks taken from more than 40 metres out, a play-the-ball restart if the ball goes over the sideline and a tackle count restart if the defensive team is called for a 10-metre infringement.
"You're never quite sure how you're going to go, even in a normal season without changes of rules. We certainly were just looking for our effort on the weekend and I was really happy after the game - it's not usually that you're happy after a loss but it was certainly an effort that we were proud to have put forward."
The PNG Hunters were pipped 20-18 by Wynnum-Manly in their 2021 season opener. Photo: Jim O'Reilly/QRL
Church believed a faster game would suit the Hunters.
"It's something that we can certainly use to our advantage because it's going to get more one on one contests in defence...and I think that benefits our guys," he said.
"Most people love Papua New Guineans because of their physicality and how they play their game so it's certainly something that can suit our style and how we want to play."
The Hunters are back in action on Saturday against the Ipswich Jets on the Gold Coast and Church is hoping for another strong turnout from at their new "home away from home" in Runaway Bay.
"It certainly felt like a big crowd...it's good for us to build that connection because we've got a big Papua New Guinean community in South East Queensland but we want to capture the local community as well on the Gold Coast.
"You don't have to be a Hunters fan to come and enjoy our brand of footy that we like to play so my theme for most of the year is going to be make the Hunters your second favourite team in 2021."
Meanwile the Hunters have named an unchanged squad for their second round clash at Bycroft Oval.
The same 17 players who featured against the Seagulls last weekend have been retained as part of an extended 21-man squad for the second-round clash at Bycroft Oval.
Prop Enock Maki was a late withdrawal from the line-up to face the Seagulls because of knee swelling and remains unavailable for selection this weekend.