PRIDE BREAKS THROUGH
IT took until their 14th game of the Intrust Super Cup season but we have finally seen the type of performance that proves Northern Pride can be a force.
The Pride has developed a penchant for tough, gritty, backs-tothe-tall grinds throughout this Intrust Super Cup campaign, claiming narrow wins on their way to eighth on the ladder.
Sure, the wins have been great to get, but the Pride has failed to put its opponents to the sword.
Consider the margins of wins against the bottom four teams: Pride beat Brisbane by eight, Jets and Cutters by just two points, and drew the hapless Capras.
But there’s not as much cause for concern with the trip to Wynnum-Manly proving this team can deliver on the promise.
The Pride ran in five tries – three to powerhouse backrower Josh Stuckey – on its way to a 30point flogging of the former league leaders.
That was despite missing all of its Cowboys allocations, injured duo Jayden Corrigan and Matt Egan, the unavailable Bernard Lewis, who didn’t travel due to the arrival of he and his partner’s new baby, and losing both prop Nick Lui-Toso and replacement fullback Grant Anderson in the first half an hour.
It showed a character the Pride
has lacked in previous seasons, and the way it battled through the drama brought a smile to coach Ty Williams’ face.
The coach was most happy with the way they got the job done: by playing together.
“We did everything together, the 42-12 result is awesome, but we did all the stuff we talk about,”
Williams said.
“It gives us an assurance that the things we’ve been doing in those losses weren’t all bad.”
The Pride will host a seasondefining clash with Sunshine Coast Falcons on Saturday, which will either lock up its spot in the finals or force it into a fight for survival in its final four games.