Sunshine Coast learned some valuable lessons after going down to PNG Hunters 34-4 on Sunday.
The Falcons simply had no answer for a rampant Hunters side that ran in six unanswered tries.
Tony Tumusa scored the Falcons’ only try for the day in the 79th minute in a game that gave several younger players such much needed experience.
“We got a lot of experience from the trip, it is a really tough trip,” Falcons coach Craig Ingebrigtsen said.
“We gave them too much ball at our end of the field which really hurt us. It was a good experience for some young blokes in Charlie Galo, Jake Turpin and Ben Nakubuwai all played good minutes.
“It was good experience for those guys all being NYC players, they all did a good job playing in front of 10,000 people.”
Turpin in particular was a standout, stepping into the halfback role for much of the game after Ryley Jacks went down early through injury.
The Falcons finished the Intrust Super Cup season in fifth spot on the ladder with a 12-10 record
They will return to Papua New Guinea this Sunday to once again take on the Hunters in a sudden death quarter-final.
