Plan to put Pride’s season in the black
JACOB GRAMS
“My work probably wants me not to play, but I’m loving it mate.
“While I’m still enjoying it, my enthusiasm’s up and I’m still contributing to the team, I’ll go again, especially with the position the club is in at the moment.
“The culture we’ve built here, despite not winning many games, you would probably think that would lead to a bit of fractures off the field, but that couldn’t be further from the truth and that’s a credit to Ty Williams and the coaching staff.”
Not only is the former Tully junior getting through un- scathed, his vintage form is impossible to ignore.
Wilkie has made the second-most tackles of any Pride player in his 19 games so far this season and is one of the most efficient at it, while in attack he has the safest hands, making only five errors in 2017.
He felt he owed it to the people who had supported his career, which has taken him to Melbourne, Brisbane, Newcastle and Townsville, to stay on one more year to help get the club back to winning ways.
“There’s a heap of young guys that have got a few games under their belt now so you’d like to think next year they’ll be regular Cup players and hopefully they’ll take that next step from being just an ISC player to a good ISC player,” Wilkie said.
Sometimes that means playing in the position that’s best for the team and as Ty Williams’ Mr Fix It, he has just about played them all.
“I’ve played about six or seven positions this year, so it’s pretty rare I’ve played the same position two weeks in a row,” Wilkie said. “It honestly doesn’t bother me at all. It keeps the mind fresh anyway.”
Wilkie is set to line up in the second row for the Pride tomorrow against Tweed Heads.