Halves handed chance to shine

THE battle for a spot in the Northern Pride’s halves will heat up on Saturday when Jack Campagnolo and Jared Allen are handed the keys to the Intrust Super Cup team.

The Pride will face the Cairns Foley Shield side at Mossman Showgrounds on Saturday evening, a game which doubles as their first hitout of the year.

Campagnolo and Allen will steer the side around the park in what is an audition for a role alongside North Queenslandcontracted Jake Clifford, should he not be selected for the Cowboys.

“I’ve spoken to them about the areas we’ve worked on in the off-season but obviously we have to be ticking those boxes,” Williams said.

“I think everyone gets confused with trials, thinking we have to win. The comp doesn’t start until March 9 and we need to build towards then.

“Campo’s got a few little things he needs to be ticking off, both attacking and defensively, and Jared’s the same.

“It does put pressure on Jordan (Biondi-Odo), Torps (Brayden Torpy) and Cliffo.”

Ty Williams will rest the majority of his senior players, with the likes of co-captain Dave Murphy, hooker Connor Jones and marquee signing Maurice Blair sitting out.

Instead, Williams will give some of the Cairns District Rugby League’s best players the opportunity to prove to the third-year coach why they should be elevated from the fringe of the Intrust Super Cup side to the main squad. POINT TO PROVE: Jared Allen.

“The senior players will definitely play next weekend but we need to put some pressure on those guys,” he said.

“It’s been interesting to watch those guys going around over the last week and a half.

“We’re excited that after nine or 10 weeks of training, running up and down the football field, they get to showcase their skill on Saturday night.”

Northern Pride officials will keep an eye on the Foley Shield side.

A strong performance could force the Pride to take a closer look at CDRL players throughout the season, as they already start planning for 2020.