Five questions of Pride
After the longest ever off-season, Williams’ troops gear up for trial test
THE Northern Pride’s Intrust Super Cup side will officially return to the field for the first time in 350 days this weekend.
The Pride will face traditional foes Townsville Blackhawks in a preseason trial match this Saturday at Jack Manski Oval, Townsville.
Kick off is at 6pm.
Coming off the longest off-season in the club’s history, after the 2020 Intrust Super Cup season lasted just one round before it was cancelled, the Pride and coach Ty Williams face a number of unknowns heading into a new campaign.
From young guns to new recruits, wily veterans to NRL stars in the making — Saturday’s trial match will throw up plenty of storylines.
Here are five burning questions Williams will be hoping to find answers for in the Pride’s first hitout.
1. How will Jayden Corrigan go at fullback?
The Norths Devils recruit has made a strong impression since arriving at the club late last year, staking claims for the Pride’s fullback jersey with his quickness across the ground and his ability to read the game and pass down the short side.
He was a standout playing for Valleys Diehards in the Brisbane Rugby League last year, finishing the year as the competition’s leading tryscorer and earning nomination for the 2020 Team of the Year as fullback.
“I just want to see what he’s about. Firstly, when he delivers the football at the back there, but also with his communication,” Williams said. “Coming out of the pre-season Jayden deserves that first opportunity moving forward and he gets that chance come Saturday arvo.”
2. Who will take the early lead in the halves race?
Matt Egan and Evan Child have been given the nod to start in the halves this weekend, with North Sydney Bears recruit Tom Steadman to come off the bench.
The trio will be looking to put their best foot forward with potentially just the one halves spot up for grabs, with Cowboys-allocated players Jake Clifford and Ben Hampton a chance to return to the Pride when not required for NRL duty by North Queensland coach Todd Payten.
“The three halves that we’ve got are all different and that’s something we’ve been chasing for a long time,” Williams said.
“Obviously Matty’s a good organiser, he kicks the ball well; Tommy’s a bigger body but ballplays; and Evan’s probably the biggest out of all of them, but his ability to manage the game is very good.
“They bring different dimensions to the club and who gets picked is going to depend on who we play each week.”
3. What impact will Cowboys young guns Jeremiah Nanai and Heilum Luki have?
Williams will get a closer look at some of his Cowboys-allocated players on Saturday, with Connelly Lemuelu, Wiremu Greig and Cairns juniors Nanai and Luki to line up for the Pride.
Lemuelu played seven NRL games after making his debut for the Cowboys last year, while Greig established himself as one of the game’s emerging enforcers, playing for the Maori All Stars last weekend.
But all eyes will be on homegrown talents Luki and Nanai.
“This weekend, I’ll probably toss them into both positions, the core and the edge, just to see what best balances us out,” Williams said.
“The discussions I’ve had with the Cowboys have been very different this year, they’re about us achieving the best possible outcome for our club and how those guys fit in is going to be up to us.
“But we’ve also got to remember that these guys are still kids. We don’t want to chuck them to the wolves because everyone expects another David Fifita.”
4. How will Josh Stuckey go after an NRL pre-season?
The Pride backrower was on a 12week contract with the Cowboys during the pre-season, but left such a lasting impression on club officials he was asked to stay for a few more weeks.
He will reunite with his Pride teammates in Townsville this weekend and has been named to start in the second row.
Stuckey brings a ballplaying dynamic to the forward pack.
“I’ve been in contact with him over the whole period and spoke to him earlier this week just to see where he’s at,” Williams said.
“He’s had an awesome time down there and I’m excited to see how it unfolds and how he brings it back to the playing group because he knows the expectations and the standards that are set for an NRL player.
“Hopefully that gives him that extra prod to aspire to be there at the end of this year.”
5. How will the new rules impact the game?
The introduction of the NRL’s sixagain rule and a shift to faster play this Intrust Super Cup season has prompted Williams to rethink how the game is played.
The hooker and lock positions have arguably been the most affected by the change, and the Pride will experiment with both on Saturday.
Christ Ostwald will start at hooker, with fellow rakes Denzel King and former NRL player Jayden Hodges coming off the bench, while Tom McGrath will start at lock, with Whyatt Barnes also expected to get minutes in a roaming forward role.
“Whether we win or lose, it doesn’t matter, just as long as we’ve got the right processes in place and we implement them in the right moment and within the right environment,” Williams said.
HE’S taken the most firstgrade wickets in this Cricket Far North season and Mulgrave skipper Justin Reid is expecting left-arm spinner Will Robertson to again feature heavily if the Toads are to book their spot in the grand final this weekend.
Mulgrave will meet Atherton in the first-grade semi-final at Edmonton’s Walker Road Sporting Precinct from 2pm this Saturday, with the winner to face minor premiers Rovers in the big dance next week.
Robertson has taken 29 wickets this summer — including at least one in each of his 13 matches — at an average of 10.31, with a strike rate of one wicket every 20 balls.
It has been a breakout season for the 23-year-old, who has established himself as an integral part of the Mulgrave bowling attack alongside current and former representative bowlers Jake Roach, Blake Raper and Wade Matthews.
Reid said Robertson had been tearing through opposition line-ups on his home deck, and he was expecting more of the same in Saturday’s do-or-die finals clash.
“The way he’s been bowling, he’s been really good,” said the captain.
“A left hander that turns the ball as much as he does is always going to be tough for the batsmen to face.
“He definitely gets a lot of turn (at Walker Road), there’s not as much bounce but it usually does favour the spinners, so hopefully he can keep his form going and get a few more (wickets) this weekend.”
Reid said the rise of Robertson had been a big part of Mulgrave’s success during the current season.
He said a return to finals cricket after missing out last year was great for the club.
“It wasn’t the primary goal for us, but obviously it’s the result you want,” Reid said.
“We just wanted to focus on bringing our juniors through and getting them ready for first-grade.
“Fortunately, it’s happened pretty quick this year.”
This summer has seen the first-grade debut of 15 and 16year-olds Aidan Beach, Matthew Wilkins and Shaun Henrich for Mulgrave, while Max Davies-Griffith and Robertson have been taking on more significant roles in the side.
“They’ve really stepped up, and that’s the big difference from last year,” Reid said.
‘They’re the go-to men now, we’re not relying as heavily on Roachy, Wade and Blake.”
Reid said the Toads would take confidence into the clash after going 2-0 against Atherton in the regular season.
“We got confidence against anyone,” he said.
“With our bowling attack, you’ve pretty much got four representative bowlers — I’m sure we’ll have four in there next year.”
Both teams will have their eyes on the skies, with the Bureau of Meteorology forecasting an 80 per cent chance of rain.
Mulgrave will progress through to the grand final in the case of a washout.