Back in red: Tommy Semmy returns to Hekari roots and explodes into late-season form

One of Papua New Guinea’s most experienced footballers has returned home — and Tommy Semmy is once again finding the net in the colours where he first established himself as one of the Pacific’s most dangerous attackers.

The 31-year-old PNG international returned to PNG Hekari FC for the 2026 Premier Soccer League season after almost nine years away from the club. Semmy recently confirmed his return directly to Oceania Football Center, while a public announcement from PNG Football Daily on May 7 provides a clear indication that the move had been completed by the early stages of the campaign.

His latest performances suggest that the familiar surroundings are bringing the best out of him again.

Semmy has scored an extraordinary nine goals across Hekari’s last three confirmed league rounds. He struck five times in a 7-2 demolition of Finschhafen Bavarians, scored again as Hekari recovered from two goals down to defeat Lae City Dwellers 3-2, and then completed a first-half hat-trick in the 6-2 victory over NCD FC.

The sequence represents a remarkable late-season scoring burst from a player who has spent much of the past decade carrying Papua New Guinean football into competitions overseas.

Semmy’s relationship with Hekari goes back to 2015, when he joined the club after beginning his senior career with Besta PNG. He quickly made an impression beyond the domestic game, scoring in consecutive OFC Champions League campaigns and establishing himself as one of the emerging forwards of that generation.

His previous Hekari spell also ended with a memorable contribution. In June 2017, Semmy scored a hat-trick as Hekari defeated FC Papaka 4-1 to win the inaugural National Premier League title.

Only a couple of months later, his career moved in a very different direction.

Semmy joined Hamilton Wanderers in New Zealand in August 2017 and remained there until 2021, making 59 league appearances and scoring 25 goals. His performances in New Zealand eventually opened the door to Australia, where he represented clubs including Altona Magic, Dandenong City, Melbourne Knights and Geelong.

Those years made Semmy one of a relatively small group of Papua New Guinean players to build a sustained career outside the country.

He also remained an important figure for the Kapuls. Semmy has represented Papua New Guinea across several international cycles, including the OFC Nations Cup and World Cup qualifying campaigns, and his combination of pace, strength and direct running has made him one of the most recognisable PNG forwards of his generation.

But in 2026 the journey has come back to Hekari.

Much has changed since he last wore the red shirt. Hekari are now PNG’s representative in the new OFC Pro League era, while a younger generation of players has emerged around established national-team figures such as Ati Kepo, Daniel Joe and Godfrey Haro.

Semmy now returns not as the promising attacker who left for New Zealand in 2017, but as one of the most seasoned players in Papua New Guinean football.

And the goals have followed.

His five-goal performance against Finschhafen was followed immediately by another decisive contribution against Lae City, before his hat-trick against NCD brought his total to nine goals in only three rounds.

A complete public goalscorers table for the 2026 PNG Premier Soccer League is not currently available, meaning Semmy’s overall season total still needs to be established from the earlier scoresheets. What is already certain, however, is that few players in the competition can match his recent run.

Nearly nine years after leaving Hekari to pursue opportunities abroad, Tommy Semmy is back in familiar colours.

And one of Papua New Guinea’s most established finishers appears to have rediscovered the scoring touch that helped launch his career in the first place.