Northern Pride’s best 50 players: 41-50, ranked
With the Intrust Super Cup cancelled, the Cairns Post is taking a stroll down memory lane to rank the top 50 footballers to play for the Northern Pride since they entered the competition.
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The Northern Pride will not strap on the boots again in 2020 after the cancellation of the Intrust Super Cup.
With that competition on hold, the Cairns Post’s rugby league writer Rowan Sparkes is taking a stroll down memory lane to rank the top 50 footballers to play for the Northern Pride since they entered the competition in 2008.
The players are ranked primarily on what they did in a Northern Pride jersey.
50. Josh Vaughan
A foundation player for the Pride, Vaughan was one of the club’s high-profile recruits for their inaugural Queensland Cup campaign in 2008, joining the club from 2007 premiership winners Tweed Heads Seagulls.
The winger scored 17 tries in 41 games for the club over the first two seasons, and was a member of the 2009 grand final side that lost to the Sunshine Coast Sea Eagles 32-18.
49. Luke George
The former Super League flyer left Bradford to move to sunny Far North Queensland ahead of the 2015 season, with his big hair making him a fan favourite upon arrival.
Bouncing between the centre and wing, George spent three seasons with the club from 2015-17 before relocating to Rockhampton to join the Central Queensland Capras.
48. Jamie Frizzo
The Gordonvale product was a member of the North Queensland Young Guns before the Pride signed him midway through 2008’s inaugural Queensland Cup season.
He played the remaining 13 games in 2008 and another 18 games in 2009, scoring 15 tries across the two seasons, but would only play six games in 2010 after breaking his arm in Round 5, and again in his return to the field in Round 13.
He retired at the end of the 2010 season to coach the CDRL’s Ivanhoe Knights.
47. Mark Dalle Cort
Born in Ayr, Dalle Cort had stints with the St George Illawarra Dragons and North Queensland Cowboys, where he won the Queensland Cup with the Young Guns in 2005 and earned Queensland Residents selection, before joining now-defunct Super League team Celtic Crusaders in 2007.
He joined the Pride for 2010 and played 13 games in his first season with the club, including coming off the bench in the Pride’s historic 30-20 grand final victory over Norths Devils. Dalle Cort played another 22 games for the Pride before hanging up the boots after the 2012 season.
46. Jackson Nicolau
The Innisfail product was an integral part of the Northern Pride’s inaugural Queensland Cup campaign in 2008, notching up 20 appearances as a North Queensland Cowboys allocated player.
His time at the club, however, was short-lived, as the up-and-coming playmaker was snatched up by the Gold Coast Titans before the 2009 season. Nicolau had made his NRL debut for the Cowboys in 2007, but would only play at the top level on one other occasion.
45. Vaipuna Tia Kilifi
Tia Kilifi was part of the Penrith Panthers NSW Cup side that was defeated 32-28 by the Northern Pride in 2014’s inaugural NRL State Championship, but would suit up in Pride colours the following year.
The hard-to-handle edge-forward was a mainstay in the Pride’s second row during his two seasons with the club, playing more than 40 games.
44. Clint Amos
The Burleigh junior signed with the Gold Coast Titans for their inaugural season in 2007 and played 21 NRL games for the club before returning to North Queensland, where he had made his NRL debut in 2006.
Amos played most of the 2010 season as the Pride’s starting hooker, but was switched to five-eighth for the club’s inaugural grand final victory, slotting into the halves for the injured Ryan Stig.
He played the first six games for the Pride in 2011 before he was reallocated to the Mackay Cutters. At the end of the season, he retired to become the Cowboys’ business development manager.
43. Michael Bani
The Mabuiag Islander came through the ranks in Cairns before he was snapped up by Manly Warringah Sea Eagles in 2007 at age 23.
He made his NRL debut for Manly that year and made 20 first-grade appearances for the club, scoring eight tries, before a mid-season swap brought him to the Cowboys in 2009.
During his time at North Queensland, Bani suited up for the Pride 23 times, including the club’s 2010 grand final win. He moved to the Canberra Raiders in 2012.
42. Greg Byrnes
The Atherton junior was a member of the North Queensland Young Guns in 2007 before signing with the Pride for the club’s debut in the 2008 Queensland Cup competition.
The prop played 21 games for the Pride in 2008, culminating in a shock call-up to make his NRL debut for the Cowboys.
He played 14 games for the Pride in 2009, including coming off the bench in the 32-18 grand final loss to Sunshine Coast Sea Eagles, before moving to Redcliffe in 2010.
41. Justin Castellaro
Castellaro joined the Northern Pride from the Herbert River Crushers in 2012 but it wasn’t until his breakout season in 2016 that he asserted himself on the Pride flanks.
That year, Castellaro made 21 appearances and was named the club’s best back for the season. In 2017, he was named in Italy’s Rugby League World Cup squad.
Agree or disagree with our selections? Tell us either in the comments below, or send an email to sport@cairnspost.com.au.
Originally published as Northern Pride’s best 50 players: 41-50, ranked