The Papua New Guinea Hunters enjoyed a brief stay atop the Intrust Super Cup ladder after thrashing the Ipswich Jets 32-10 to extend their winning run to four games.
Co-captain Wellington Albert crashed over for the opening try after six minutes and Ase Boas added two penalty goals, after former Hunters rep Sebastian Pandia was caught offside, to give the visitors a 10-0 buffer midway through the first half.
Poor ball handing from the Jets presented another opportunity for the Hunters to strike, with in-form centre Adex Wera taking full advantage before centre Israel Eliab scored off a set play to extend the lead to 22-0 at halftime.
Sebastian Pandia looks to test the PNG Hunters defence. Photo: RNZI / Melvin Levongo
A rejuvenated Ipswich rallied midway through the second spell, with Wes Conlon scoring two tries in three minutes to cut the deficit to ten points with 14 minutes remaining.
A big defensive play from Moses Meninga shifted momentum, the interchange forward putting a big shot on to force a mistake from the home side while hot on attack.
Skipper Ase Boas stepped inside the Jets defence to score next to the uprights before adding the extra two and winger Bland Abavu sealed a clinical win with a try down the left hand touchline.
The victory came after a tough weekend for the PNG side, with prop forward Henry Wan Noki charged by Sydney police for an offence which is now under investigation.
The Hunters have now won five of six games on the road and remain level on points at the top of the ladder with the Redcliffe Dolphins, who beat Norths Devils.
