Gamble if Bryce is right
Pride can secure home final with game win over Seagulls but it’s all a…
DROPPED Gold Coast Titans star Bryce Cartwright is in for a busy night when he lines up for Tweed Heads Seagulls at Barlow Park this weekend, with the Northern Pride still a chance to secure a home final if they win.
The fifth-placed Pride haven’t hosted a semi-final since 2015 but will have to get past a dangerous Seagulls outfit, boasting Tongan prop Leilani Latu and the out of sorts Cartwright.
The Seagulls beat the Pride 28-22 last time they met and despite being out of finals contention, Pride coach Ty Williams said he was wary of the visitors’ Titans-contracted stars heading into the final round clash.
“They got the jump on us last time and their Gold Coast players really stood out,” Williams said. “Latu probably had his best game of the season. We clawed our way back but we need to get off to a better start this time around.
“Obviously, if you’re Bryce, you don’t just forget how to play football. We know he’s got a lot of ability. We need to eliminate the amount of time he has with the ball in his hands and run a bit of traffic at him to see what he’s doing defensively.”
Cartwright will be itching to taking the field on Saturday night after playing just eight minutes in the Titans’ win over Manly last Friday night.
Desperate for more game time, the utility had been given permission to play the following day against the Ipswich Jets only to be a late omission, frustrating Seagulls coach Ben Woolf.
“We had been told previously that if they play less than 15 minutes and we get approval from the QRL, they can still back up the next day,” Woolf said. “The QRL approved that in the morning for us but then Ipswich complained so they reneged on it.”
The game will mark the first time in 12 weeks the Pride have played at Barlow Park with a victory potentially locking in a home final, provided results go their way.
“We had an eight-week period away where we had to get used to travel,” Williams said.
“It’d be nice to play at home. A few of the boys were talking about it the other night. The surroundings are what we’re used to. Not having to look for things or know where the showers are will be nice for a change.”
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