Round 1 Sunday wrap: Hunters rain on Clydesdales' parade
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The PNG Hunters – and the weather – rained all over the Western Clydesdales’ parade, as the Hunters triumphed 20-10 in wet conditions at Clive Berghofer Stadium.
It was a historic day in Toowoomba as the Clydesdales played their first game in Cup since 2006.
The new team certainly fought hard and showed plenty of resilience with two second half tries, but the Hunters came in to ruin the party, proving to be just too strong for the home team.
Backrower Sherwin Tanabi was full of praise for the Hunters’ debutants in particular, after the club underwent a large turnover for 2023.
Fullback Morea Morea was named the Hastings Deering player of the match, standing up for his side as the rain poured down for the majority of the match.
“It’s exciting … I really can’t express it because half of the team, they are new boys who came up from Digicel Cup,” Tanabi said.
“All the boys, they were amazing. Most of the new boys, they were in the middle, but they just kept backing themselves up.
“We had to defend three sets in a row but everyone was good and stood up for each other and we got the win in the end.
“Our fullback, young Morea Morea, he was Digicel Cup player of the year last year and he did some good things out on the field.
“He had good ball returns, he was safe at the back. But everyone stood up for each other.”
Match: Clydesdales v Hunters
Round 1 -
home Team
Clydesdales
9th Position
away Team
Hunters
5th Position
Venue: Clive Berghofer Stadium, Toowoomba
While the Clydesdales didn’t record their first victory, there will be plenty to take from that match.
Errors hampered their attempts at a comeback, but captain Darryn Schonig led strongly from the front while hooker Drew Timms, prop Todd White and interchange lock Takai Mokohar also impressed.
Tanabi felt the impact of the resilient Clydesdales team and said they certainly challenged the Hunters.
“We didn’t know what that team would be like but we knew they wanted to come out and win for their first game of the season,” he said.
“They wanted it to be part of the club’s history. It was a tough game but they came out strong.”
Meanwhile, the second clash of the day between the Redcliffe Dolphins and Brisbane Tigers was cancelled after four minutes – with the Dolphins up 6-0 through Jack Bostock – due to torrential rain and waterlogged fields.
The Queensland Rugby League are assessing options for a replay to the Round 1 clash, with no result recorded.
Match: Dolphins v Tigers
Round 1 -
home Team
Dolphins
10th Position
away Team
Tigers
11th Position
Venue: Kayo Stadium, Redcliffe
For all day one results, click here.
