A united Pride pair holds key to success

TULLY prodigy Jake Clifford has learnt how to take control from the best in the business but realises neither he nor Todd Carney will reach the NRL if they fail to strike a partnership.

Saturday will mark a homecoming of sorts for the last National Youth Competition player of the year, when he returns to Pride colours for the first time since starring as a junior and entering the Cowboys system.

But all the reputations that precede him are meaningless now for Clifford.

Even with the presence of Carney and the prospect he could jump the pecking order if the Cowboys sign him, the laid-back 20-year-old knows the duo must help each other if they are to have any chance of making it to the next level.

“We have to play good consistent footy together to even get an opportunity. You’re not going to get selected on bad form,” Clifford said.

“If either of us get selected for the NRL, we’ll both be happy for each other and if it came my way I’d take it with both hands and if it went to Todd, I’d back him and support him all the way.

“You can’t go out there saying: ‘I want to make sure I’m looking way better than him’.

“You want to play well as a team and you won’t get a win without working as a team, so that will be my main focus and playing good footy beside him.

“We’ll talk about structures and how we like to play and we might be a bit shaky for the first couple of rounds but there’s some good calibre of players around me so that will help me out.”

A full-time NRL preseason alongside Cowboys legend Johnathan Thurston has given Clifford all the tools he needs and he showed them when he replaced the great man in the Cairns trial.

“Leading the team around, Johnno is really good with that, and just trying to control the game, stay patient, get the boys around the park … and I’m hoping to do that with the Pride, and I can do that,” he said.

Northern Pride v Wynnum-Manly Seagulls, Barlow Park, Saturday 6pm.