A season of great progress reached a whole new level for the Sunshine Coast on Sunday.
The Hunters had won 26 straight games in Papua New Guinea but were eliminated in week one of the Intrust Super Cup finals by an inspired Falcons side.
The 18-12 score line was an upset few saw coming, even the Falcons had to pinch themselves.
“I still can’t believe it to be honest, it is an outstanding experience for all of us,” coach Craig Ingebrigtsen said.
“That meant the world to our footy club and all the hard work that goes on behind the scenes, it was an immense win for us.
“It is a really good result for us but we’ve got to get onto next week now.”
The Falcons led by just two points at half-time but managed to score the first two tries after the break to give themselves some breathing room.
PNG hit back with two late tries but the visitors held on to record a famous win.
Six Storm players played a key role in getting the feeder side over the line, especially a young Storm centre who played a crucial lock down role on a player who will be his Storm teammate next year.
“Curtis Scott was outstanding,” Ingebrigtsen said.
“He was really sick, at one stage there I didn’t think he was going to play. He couldn’t eat, was really pale in colour but his effort on Justin Olam, their go-to man in the centre, put us in good stead defensively.
“We were really solid in defence and Curtis lead the way with that.”
The Falcons now face a six-day turnaround ahead of another trip up north to face the Townsville Blackhawks for a spot in a preliminary final.
