The Northern Pride rugby league club says it is a privilege to host the PNG Hunters this weekend in their first ever game.
The Hunters' pre-season campaign begins on Sunday in Cairns ahead of their Queensland Cup debut next month.
Their opponents were minor premiers in last year's competition and had their first hit out last weekend against the Cowboys Under 20s team.
The Northern Pride CEO Brock Schaefer is a former Cricket PNG staffer and says the Hunters team are a welcome addition to the competition.
"We've always been a strong supporter of PNG entering the Q-Cup. We think it was their natural progression as a rugby league country and we're thrilled that they have won acceptance for 2014. I was lucky enough to be part of the bid team that went up and reviewed their operations, to decide whether they should be in the competition, and I suppose that trip was the genesis for bringing them down for their first game in Cairns."
