Belief drives Pride in gutsy triumph
IT is the type of performance which should make the rest of the Intrust Super Cup sit up and take notice of what’s brewing at Barlow Park.
Northern Pride turned back the clock in Saturday night’s hard-fought and well-earned 26-16 win against Souths Logan Magpies in Cairns, showing a grit and determination that has been missing in recent years to fight for victory against a Magpies team featuring more than 340 games of top flight experience in the NRL and Super League.
Bronco Tom Dearden and former Titans playmaker Albert Kelly lined up in black and white, as did fleet-footed Broncos-contracted fullback Tesi Niu, hooker Cory Paix and former Cowboy John Asiata.
Kelly has 47 NRL appearances and 118 games for Hull Kingston Rovers and Hull FC to his name, while Asiata has played 132 NRL games since his debut in 2014.
But as well as Kelly and Dearden played on the night – they looked dangerous with every touch – the Pride were not fussed by this star-studded Souths Logan side.
The self-belief was evident from the kick-off but highlighted by an audacious and risky dummy-half play from co-captain Chris Ostwald.
Up 20-16 with three minutes on the clock, Ostwald spurned his playmakers on the last tackle and carried a Magpie over the line for the decisive four-pointer to seal the result and the club’s third win of the campaign.
Ostwald credits the men around him for the play: powerhouse forwards Nick Lui Toso and Heilum Luki had strong runs in the previous plays to have the Magpies’ defence on the ropes.
But he also credited coach Ty Williams, who has stressed to his players the importance of backing themselves, especially in the key moments.
“The big boys in the middle
– Nick, Heilum, set the tone with that run – they both crossed the line,” Ostwald said.
“It was on everywhere. I think we had them shot for numbers everywhere.
“At the time, I didn’t know if I’d made the right decision. Ty’s coached something into us to just never give up, and I think we played the whistle and they didn’t.
“Having Nick Lui Toso, those boys, Tommy (Steadman) calling it one way, (Matt) Egan calling the other way, and the gap opened up for me – made my job easy.”
The Pride dominated with the ball, running for 250m more than the Magpies.
Four of the Pride’s starting forwards ran for more than 100m, led by promising youngster Luki, who made 171m from 16 carries to continue the impressive start to his Intrust Super Cup career, while veteran prop Rod Griffin ran for 165m from 15 runs despite starting on the bench.
Fellow young forward Jeremiah Nanai made 96m, fullback Jayden Corrigan was a step short of a 200m effort, and Grant Anderson scored his first Intrust Super Cup try on a night he ran for 121m.
They are the kind of stats which prove things are moving in the right direction at the Pride as they fight for a place in the finals and fans dream of a return to the glory days.
Williams has instilled confidence in his entire squad, and it’s directly influenced two results: the win against Souths Logan and the last-minute penalty option which delivered a win against the Blackhawks just a few weeks ago.
“The biggest thing I try to coach my players is back yourself,” Williams said. “I like when Ossie does that, I like when all of the boys do that.”
New signing Paea Pua arrived in Cairns from NSW Cup side Mounties on Tuesday, came off the bench and scored in his Intrust Super Cup debut, while Evan Child, lining up at centre, crossed for his first try in his second ISC appearance.
The Pride will face the Tweed Seagulls this week.