Hunters form partnership with Broncos

This week Brisbane Broncos and PNG Hunters announced a new partnership ahead of the 2016 season in which both teams will be looking to go just a little further than the disappointing end results in 2015.

The agreement will see current Hunters head coach Michael Marum mentored for a week by Wayne Bennett and the PNG side given access to the Broncos training facilities.

Wayne’s brother and former PNG coach Bob Bennett was on Radio Australia’s Pacific Beat to explain some of the details of Hunters new alliance at Red Hill.

“It will just be Wayne’s normal training week and Michael will just hang around with him and see how it’s done and the professionalism that Michael’s got in place [in PNG],” Bennett said.

“He’s going to come down to the Broncos and see what they do, the facilities, giving him some ideas, and just see where they go from there.

Bob Bennett insists there’s no link for Wayne Bennett to take over the PNG job and says current Hunters coach Michael Marum is the man to lead them towards the World Cup in 2017. Given the results and progress of the Hunters since their arrival in the Intrust Super Cup in 2014, he is probably right. He’d know too being a long serving former coach.

With the Broncos already involved with many other Intrust Super Cup side, a feeder player arrangement has not been formalised, but you can imagine that one or two players may catch the eyes of Broncos officials throughout the season given another pathway into the NRL for many of the players who impressed in 2015.

It may also help the PNG national side to a new level of professionalism and performance which is a mouth-watering prospect for those hopeful of a Rugby League World Cup in 2017 that isn’t just limited to the Big 3 with the minnows playing a minor role.

Exciting times for PNG rugby league ahead.