The player exodus from the Papua New Guinea Hunters rugby league team continues with Rahdly Brawa and Edene Gebbie joining Intrust Super Cup rivals Wynnum Manly Seagulls for the 2019 season.
PNG Hunters' Players' Player of the Year Rahdly Brawa is leaving the club. Photo: Instagram
Twenty-seven-year-old Brawa was named the Hunters' Players' Player of the Year for 2018 while 23-year-old Gebbie was adjudged the team's rookie of the year.
The PNG Kumuls internationals are the latest Hunters players to head offshore: Queensland Cup winning captain Ase Boas and younger brother Watson Boas signed for English second tier club Featherstone Rovers in September, where they will likely come up against Wartovo Puara Junior and Stargroth Amean, who joined Barrow Rovers last month.
Ase and Watson Boas will play in England next season. Photo: Supplied/Melvin Levongo
Incumbent Hunters coach Michael Marum is also yet to sign a new contract.
"I still haven't sat down with the people in charge in the office and now [I have] postponed our pre-season camp to the end of November," he said.
"I was advised I was going to be sitting down with the Chairman and the Board (of the PNGRFL) but that didn't happen because of the (PNG Kumuls vs England Knights) games just completed but hopefully that's sorted our quickly before we go into our camp."
PNG Hunters coach Michael Marum gets his message across during training. Photo: Supplied
"They've spoken about me being involved again until the next World Cup with the Kumuls and also the Hunters - taking up a mentoring role bringing one or two coaches from the local competition in."
The PNG Hunters' initial five year licence to play in the Intrust Super Cup concluded this season but the club are expected to confirm a four year extention shortly.
Edene Gebbie is leaving the PNG Hunters after a stand-out rookie season. Photo: PNG Hunters Media