RANKED: Northern Pride’s best players, #31-40
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
News
Don't miss out on the headlines from News. Followed categories will be added to My News.
- RANKED: Northern Pride’s best players, #41-50
- Former Cairns football player’s New York life on hold
- Cairns Basketball’s focus on juniors, local competition
- Cairns named to host state championship in 2021
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.
PART I: NORTHEN PRIDE’S BEST PLAYERS, #41-50
40. Sheldon Powe-Hobbs
A Babinda Colts junior, Powe-Hobbs’ journey with the Pride started as part of 2009’s under-18s academy squad.
He made his Queensland Cup debut in 2011, but moved to the Storm the following year to join their under-20s.
He returned to the Pride in 2014 and was part of their Queensland Cup and State Championship triumphs. He also played for Scotland against Australia at the 2016 Rugby League Four Nations.
39. Semi Tadulala
A former NRL and Super League player, Tadulala arrived in the Far North before the 2013 season alongside newly installed coach Jason Demetriou, with the pair coming from English Championship side Keighley Cougars.
He played more than 40 games in the Pride’s minor-premiership-winning seasons in 2013 and 2014, and lined up on the wing in 2014’s grand final win over Easts Tigers, and the inaugural State Championship win over the Panthers.
He played 11 games in 2015 before retiring.
38. Tom Humble
A Blackwater Crushers junior, Humble played in the North Queensland Cowboys NYC team in 2008, before joining the Pride in 2009.
He made the five-eighth jersey his own, as the Pride made it to their first Queensland Cup grand final, where they were defeated 32-18 by Sunshine Coast.
Much of the club’s success in 2009 was due to Humble’s attacking prowess, as the agile ballrunner scored 20 tries in 23 games in his only season with the club before the Parramatta Eels snapped him up.
37. Ricky Thorby
Thorby played for Innisfail Leprechauns in the CDRL before signing with St George Illawarra Dragons in 2007.
After 20 appearances over four seasons for the Dragons, he signed with the Cowboys in 2011, and played 19 games for the Northern Pride that year.
He was an integral part of the Pride’s forward pack in 2013 and 2014’s minor-premiership-winning seasons and was part of 2014’s title wins. He signed with the Blackhawks for their Queensland Cup debut in 2015.
36. Ryan Stig
A former Australian Schoolboy, Stig had two seasons with Newcastle’s NYC team before joining the Pride for the 2010 season.
Stig scored 128 points (eight tries, 48 goals) for the Pride that year, but it was his combination with Chris Sheppard that helped guide the club to its second grand final appearance in as many years.
A shoulder injury would rule him out of the club’s historic grand final victory over Easts Tigers. He would return to the Knights in 2011, making his NRL debut that year and playing 13 games.
35. Graham Clark
After leaving the Far North as a teenager to chase his rugby league dream, Clark had brief stints with the Bulldogs and Sharks before linking with Wynnum-Manly and making his Cup debut in 2013.
After a two-year stay, which resulted in the club’s 2014 Players’ Player gong, the Innisfail junior returned the Far North, signing with the Pride for the 2015 season.
Clark had another stint with the Bulldogs in 2016, before again returning to the Pride for the 2017 and 2018 seasons.
34. Nick Slyney
The Malanda junior made his NRL debut in 2008 while playing for the Cowboys’ under-20s, and was named the club’s Rookie of the Year.
Slyney spent most of the 2009 and 2010 seasons in Pride colours, where he played 44 games, including two grand finals – winning one.
He played six games for the Brisbane in 2012, before moving to the London Broncos from 2014-16. He ended his career at Redcliffe in 2018.
33. Tyrone McCarthy
The Ireland international joined the Pride in 2014 after 79 games in the English Championship and Super League.
That year, he made 27 appearances for the club and played a key role in the club’s 2014 Queensland Cup premiership and the inaugural NRL State Championship.
McCarthy returned to the Super League in 2015 with Hull Kingston Rovers, before a two-year deal with NRL’s Dragons brought him back to Australia.
He now plays for Salford in the Super League.
32. Jack Svendsen
Svendsen joined the Pride for the 2014 season after a promising junior career.
The Gordonvale product played 19 games, but was sidelined for the grand final, which the Pride won, to make way for the Cowboys’ Kyle Feldt.
He was recalled by coach Demetriou for the State Championship triumph over Penrith.
Svendsen played 56 games for the Pride and was the club’s Player of the Year in 2015. He has played 124 Queensland Cup games and is in his fourth season with Easts Tigers.
31. Connor Jones
The Emerald Tigers junior, joined the Pride in 2017 after a stint with the Bulldogs.
Jones predominantly played off the bench in his first two seasons, splitting hooking duties with premiership winner Ryan Ghietti. He made the No.9 jersey his own in 2019, following Ghietti’s retirement.
Despite reaching his best form at the club in 2019, Jones was granted a release to take up a short-term contract offer with the Featherstone Rovers.
In September 2019, he was signed by Super League club Salford Red Devils.
Originally published as RANKED: Northern Pride’s best players, #31-40