Child given chance at pivotal position
NORTHERN Pride young gun Evan Child will hope to leave a lasting impression in the mind of coach Ty Williams when he starts the club’s final pre-season trial at five-eighth tonight.
The 20-year-old fridge mechanic catapulted his way into contention for a spot in the Pride’s starting 17 with an eye-catching performance in last weekend’s trial against Mossman-Port Douglas, where he had an immediate impact off the bench.
Williams said giving the nod to Child to start tonight’s trial was a reward for his continuous hard work.
“He will not look out of place in the Intrust Super Cup,” Williams said.
“Everyone’s in for a bit of a scare in the halves, which is good. I’ve got all the confidence in the world in this kid.
“He’s a 100-gamer for the ISC eventually, but we’ll see how he goes this weekend.”
With halfback recruit Brayden Torpy still on his way back from injury and Jake Clifford vying for a spot in the Cowboys’ halves, Williams said the club was exploring all playmaker options ahead of next month’s season opener.
“Evan will get a crack with Jordy (Jordan Biondi-Odo), so it’s a different combination than last week where we had Jared (Allen) and Campo (Jack Campagnolo).
“Evan was probably the best half out of them … so if he comes out and puts in another solid performance it’s going to give me a good headache. But it’ll be out of those guys that have been trialling – Jordan, Jared, Campo and Evan.”
A “quietly-spoken kid who goes about his business”, Child has enjoyed a rapid rise since taking out the CDRL’s Rookie of the Year award in his debut A-grade season in 2017, going on to play for the Pride under-20s in 2018 and being promoted to the club’s top roster for 2019.
Pride under-20s coach Dave Scott said Child’s physique added another element to his game as a five-eighth.
“He’s a 95kg, 6-foot-2 halfback – and he can play. He attacks the line, draws defenders in and, in the under-20s, he had this uncanny ability to break a tackle.”
Child’s former Cairns Brothers coach Robbie Swain said the young star had the talent to shine on any stage.
“He can spot a gap before it’s even there or a situation before it becomes a problem,” he said.
“The way he runs lines and the way he takes the ball deep into the line and passes it – he just made the game his own,” Swain said.