Northern Pride: Tom McGrath locking into a new style of play

Northern Pride forward Tom McGrath could take on a crucial role at lock this season if an experiment beginning in this Saturday night’s trial against the Townsville Blackhawks works out.

Northern Pride forward Tom McGrath could take on a crucial role at lock this season if an experiment beginning in this Saturday night’s trial against the Townsville Blackhawks works out.

The introduction of the NRL’s six-again rule and a shift to faster play in the upcoming Intrust Super Cup season has prompted coach Ty Williams to rethink his forward pack structure and explore his options in the No.13 jersey, with a preference for a roaming, ballplaying loose forward.

“We’ve got to adjust accordingly on the run and the boys know that’s something we’re looking to implement, so I think we’ll adjust as the game unfolds,” Williams said.

“It’s something we’ve developed as players and coaching staff, just understanding we’ve got to have a plan B, plan C in place with the way the game is going.

Northern Pride's Tom McGrath. Picture: QRL

“We’ve implemented it pretty heavy at training, just putting the guys in certain situations where they’re a bit uncomfortable and seeing how they react to it.

“They’ve adjusted accordingly, so we’ll look to implement that on the field over the next two weeks.”

Williams named his squad to face the Blackhawks on Wednesday afternoon, with McGrath to get the first crack at the lock position.

“Starting Tom McGrath at 13 is probably a step in that direction straight away,” Williams said.

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“He’s normally an edge back rower but we got him to put a bit of weight on because he can also ballplay.”

Williams said ballplaying had been a focus for the side in the pre-season, particularly the forwards.

“We’ve worked pretty hard on it — we’ve had to — and that’s everybody,” he said.

“Our best passer in the forwards is Nick Lui Toso, but he’s developed that from being at an NRL system.

Northern Pride's Tom McGrath. Picture: QRL

”We’ve had to implement it because of the way the game’s changing. The guys work pre-training and post-training on their passing ability, that’s how they get better, and they’ve been doing that week in, week out.”

Williams said he would experiment with the lock position, with a number of players putting their hand up to fill the role.

“On the flip side you’ve got Denzel (King) and Hodgo (Jayden Hodges) there who can also accommodate that role,” he said.

“The versatility of it is very important, especially when you’re coming to a bench spot, just being able to cover all those areas.”

Williams named a 25-man squad for the clash, including four Cowboys-allocated players — Connelly Lemuelu, Wiremu Greig, Heilum Luki and Jeremiah Nanai.

The Pride will meet the Blackhawks at Jack Manski Oval on Saturday at 6pm, with the under-21 sides to take the field in a curtain-raiser at 4pm.

The Pride will play an in-house trial next week.

PRIDE TRIAL SQUAD

1. Jayden Corrigan, 2. Shawn Bowen, 3. Connelly Lemuelu, 4. Bernard Lewis, 5. Matthew Musumeci, 6. Evan Child, 7. Matthew Egan, 8. Wiremu Greig, 9. Chris Ostwald, 10. Nick Lui Toso, 11. Josh Stuckey, 12. Ewan Moore, 13. Tom McGrath, 14 Jayden Hodges, 15. Tommy Steadman, 16. Heilum Luki, 17. Jeremiah Nanai, 18. Lata Fakalelu, 19. Terrence Casey-Douglas, 20. Brad Lupi, 21. Mark Rosendale, 22. Denzel King, 23. Whyatt Barnes, 24. Dallas Skardon, 25. Cephas Chinfat.

Originally published as Northern Pride: Tom McGrath locking into a new style of play