PNG Hunters link up with Brisbane Broncos

Queensland Cup outfit PNG Hunters are to link up with Brisbane Broncos in 2016, with Hunters coach Michael Marum set to spend a week with Wayne Bennett next month.

The Broncos coach will mentor Marum, who will observe how the Broncos do things, and hope to pick up some useful information for the season ahead.

Bennett’s brother Bob Bennett, himself a former coach of the PNG national team, revealed that Wayne Bennett is delighted to be hosting the Hunters at Red Hill.

The Hunters will also be able to use the Broncos’ training facilities when they travel to Queensland for games.

“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],” Bob Bennett said, speaking to Radio Australia‘s Pacific Beat.

“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.

“Wayne’s got a bit of soft spot for PNG and I suppose that’s through my connection and also just PNG in general so therefore he always helps out when he can.

“It will be good that every time they come to Brisbane and they know that they want to do weights or they want to do something they can just do what they want.

“Most of the time I’d say the Broncos would be away too, so the Hunters will have the field and facilities without too many problems.”

Bob Bennett insisted, however, that there was no possibility of any permanent PNG coaching role for his brother.

“I think Wayne is too busy and I don’t think that would be possible,” he explained.

“Sometimes you’ve got to understand the PNG players as well and Michael does that very well. And Wayne will always be a contact for him to talk to – and that will be good – but no, I don’t think Wayne will go to PNG.”