Pride fully evident in Cutters’ Bears bashing

After last night’s NRL grand final, Meninga, Fulton and Lockyer were to debate how to best balance the need to pick the best side while at the same time build toward next year’s World Cup.

Corey Parker is available to go on the tour and retire at its end, as Meninga noted last month that he did as a player on the 1994 Kangaroo tour.

The selection of both Parker and Paul Gallen, who will not be available for representative football next year, would mitigate against giving tour experience to younger forwards ahead of the World Cup.

Australia will open their campaign on October 28 against Scotland in Hull, with England and New Zealand also having to be overcome if the Kangaroos are to play in the November 20 final at Anfield in Liverpool. SHAUN Nona’s kicking game earnt Kevin Walters’ approval, Jason Demetriou grabbed a slice of history and Tyrone McCarthy got his hands on more silverware.

Illawarra’s 54-12 trouncing of Burleigh in the NRL State Championship match at ANZ Stadium may have snapped Queensland’s stranglehold on the interstate contest, but it drew smiles from pockets of the Far North.

The trio helped guide the Northern Pride to the inaugural national crown in 2014 but that upset had nothing on yesterday’s shock result.

While the Cutters may have entered favourites, few could have predicted the manner of the demolition. After time in NRL systems, Tully product Nona’s reliable kicking game proved telling as Illawarra outenthused and outplayed the Bears by embarrassing proportions.

“I was really impressed with Shaun Nona’s kicking game,” Maroons coach Walters said on Fox Sports.

“He controlled the game.”

Demetriou may not have the same Far North roots as Nona but remains a part of Pride history.

The ex-Cowboys assistant is officially the next coaching cab off the rank after adding a second national title to his 2014 Intrust Super Cup and 2015 NRL premiership ones.

Irish international McCarthy, meanwhile, captained his side to a triumph exactly two years after scoring a try to help the Pride pull off their interstate heist.

“The scoreline doesn’t suggest how hard it was out there,” he said after the match.

“It’s been a great pleasure to play with these boys all year.”

Nona heads back to North Queensland to link with the Blackhawks in 2017.