Finals getting underway here at the Santos National Football Stadium and it’s the PNG hunters up against the villages. Winnam Bentley Seagulls. Warren with a first carry, just hanging on here. The hunters defence, they play the ball quickly back towards the middle. Just working through the set. Great work here by the visitors. And here’s over. Too big, too strong. Very close to the line and we have gone over for the first four pointer. Yeah, nine minutes into this one. Connor Broadhurst one on one with Rotinga. He’s too big, too strong, fends him off and he gets over the line. A good start to this footy game for the Winner Manly elimination finals. That’s a great start for Matthew Head and the lads from, uh, Winner Manly on his, uh, preferred side. You can hear the crowd getting into this one and trying to throw him off his, uh, kicking routine as he moves in to strike it. It looks good off the boot and it sails through the uprights. Six points to nil. 15 away from the line, come back towards the middle, still free. Brown is looking for his second. The ball pops out. Penalty strip. Crowd booing and hissing, but, uh, he knocks it through the uprights again. Two points added onto the tally for the Seagulls. Plays the ball quickly. Rambo from dummy half sends it across to Maloko back on the inside. Great defence here from, uh, the Seagulls across to the Captain, great play on that left edge and it’s uh, Joshua Lau setting up Brendon Lima for a great try. Yeah, that’s a good step there by the P N. G hunters and creating the gap for themselves. They able to score a very good try to bring the score to 4, 8 points to four. Yeah, you love it when not these electric little halves when they get the ball. 20 minutes into this contest and of course, fatigue’s gonna start to set in on this winter manly side as the weather conditions here are a stark contrast to what they’re experiencing in in Australia. The hunters, they’ve worked hard. They started the game off well. They just, uh, had to claw their way back in. This one good strike. It hits the uprights and stays away. Score remains 8 points to 4. Ejected him himself into the attacker. His first carry from the bounce, Judah Riku, what a run from dummy half. Hunter’s now rolling forward. Been a lot of ease. They’ve gained some valuable metres into opposition’s half. Joshua Langi goes to the air. The contest is on. Look backwards. Here they go. And Junior Ralph is claiming a try. Is he shot or what? This could be a possible try. It’s time on. We’re playing the first knock on because we can’t have a good driving here from PNG. So it’s a knock on to winner. Plays the ball. Eventually junior rump again hitting the line. Hard, but the defence holding there from, ah, Seagulls. Rainbow from Dammie half this time he gets a try and then salutes the crowd. How about that? Yeah, that’s what I always talk about. Junior Rainbow. He always want from Dammie when he’s close to the line. An example of that. That’s something that winner Manly will have to work on last week’s match against clydesdale’s. But here’s Finley from Damien off. Claire plays the ball. Joshua Love is running. Game kicks through. Play on. It’s the call. Oh, this is incredible. The hunters have gone back to back. It’s Sony Wabo and the party continues. Yeah, who was that that the ball came off? Ah, I think he was smart enough to just play at it with his knee and kick it through. And then sunny Wabo chasing up on the inside like good fullbacks do, picks up the lucky bounce, a beautiful bounce as he strolls over and scores under the sticks again, the Hunter’s off turnover sent it away. Milson joining in the line, but good tackle there by Mavoko brought his decides to attack the short side. Ooh, desperate defence there from the heartless and Brookes has lost the ball forward right in front. Marvoco. Ooh, get the numbers to the right. They just ran out of options there. Moboko takes a tackle instead. Tauloi, I think it’s a dead ball. The referee as rule was, uh, touched first by Wynnum Manly. So it’s a line Drop pass anyway, but the hunters will have possession back. Yeah, that’s a very good thinking by the uh P N G Hunters putting the ball behind. Oh but anyway, here’s another chance. Oh, those are body loses possession. Go one. That’s tackle one. Myx again decide to come back towards uh the right and then uh, they work the short side. Mamuka comes up with a big hit. That’s the first time I’ve seen Jimmy Maboko play like that. This is finals football. Walking it back towards the left side. Ooh, didn’t come off. And the hunters have quickly turned defence into attack. Here’s Robo the Wizard support on the inside. Robert Magness is racing away. Shut the gate. The horse is bolted. It’s Robert Mathews. What a play. Sunny wabba sunny wabba ha ha ha sunny, sunny, sunny. Tell you what, the sun’s gone down but it’s sunny here at the N F. S. He’s absolutely carving it up. The presence of mind to just slow down and turn it back on the inside to a charging Robert Martinez who travels about 35 odd metres and scores a great try right at the s P House line stand at Northern Stand. Rimbu now backline set to the left. Ball turned back on the inside. Mireh charging onto it. Options both side here for Junior Rimbu. He goes on the short side. Benji caught shaping to pass. Shows it there to Matthias who gets it off to Brendan Neymar. Who’s gonna stroll in and score it salutes the crowd but the referee says there’s a forward passing there. Robert Matthias the last pass. Crowd’s not happy with that one. They’re gonna come out here to Josh Low Rainbow Placeable, the Long Pass low a field goal attempt and he gets it. Playing finals footy for the first time at the Q R L level and the coach would be happy as we see the former hooker for the P and the Hunters. 23 seconds left in this one time restart now due to Rimbo scampering from dummy half, losing it behind. Referee says knock on and I think that’ll be the last play of the game here. As you can see both sides not hurrying to the scrum at all. They’re just gonna let this play down. They’re off the fit. But the P N G under 18’s have done really well maintaining their composure after the final Siren. As we can see here, the referee is blown. Full time here at the Santos International Football Stadium in Barcelona. The PNG Hunters have won the kick off match by 23 points to eight in the first elimination final here in Port Moresby.