Premiership dreams dashed as the Northern Pride miss finals again
Northern Pride has been left to rue what could have been after a four-point loss to Burleigh Bears put an end to its Intrust Super Cup campaign.
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NORTHERN Pride has been left to rue what could have been after a four-point loss to Burleigh Bears put an end to its Intrust Super Cup campaign, with officials immediately starting work on planning for the 2022 season.
Saturday’s 24-20 loss to the Bears, in which Grant Anderson scored a double and the Pride fought back and had a chance to level the scores as it dominated possession in the last 10 minutes, summed up the season.
The Bears’ defence held strong as the Pride overplayed its hand, the final set ending with a handling error and consigning the club to a fourth straight loss in Far North Queensland.
It was still in the eight at full-time and could have made the finals if Capras upset Sunshine Coast, and for more than 70 minutes it looked as if they might.
Wayward goalkicking – the Capras hit just one of five attempts – and a late Luke Polselli try handed the Falcons a 24-22 win and the last spot in the top eight.
Pride coach Ty Williams was gutted on Sunday. His team sat in the top eight all season, only to drop to ninth – and out of premiership contention – after the final weekend.
“I’m gutted for the boys mainly,” he said. “They’ve done an exceptional job. They showed a fair bit of quality to get back into it.
“The emotions we had after the loss, hopefully they keep that on board and never feel that again.”
A horror 10-minute period in the first half doomed the Pride. Leading 4-0 after an early try to Cephas Chinfat, the Pride leaked three tries to hand Burleigh a 16-4 lead – an advantage they didn’t give up.
“We tried to overplay our hand instead of build pressure,” Williams said. “That eight minute period was just simple stuff. We showcased some inexperience in those few minutes.
“For our progress, we just have to learn from that. It’s not the first time that’s happened this season, where we get into position to strike and we overplay the hand. Especially when we didn’t have to.”
Anderson was particularly strong in the loss, overcoming a hamstring injury to start at fullback, score two tries, and be among the most dangerous weapons.
Young winger Mark Rosendale produced two highlight plays as he beat the defence from long range and sprinted into open space, but on both occasions he was chased down – and the set ended with a lost ball.
“We had plenty of opportunity to score, we just went away from what worked,” Williams said.
Most of the squad has re-signed for another run, but end-of-year reviews and medicals will dominate discussion in the immediate future.
MATCH REPORT: Bears 24 def Pride 20
Northern Pride must depend on the hapless Capras if they are to make the Intrust Super Cup finals after an error-riddled 24-20 loss to Burleigh at Barlow Park.
The Pride arrived at Barlow Park with everything to play for, but instead left with their tails between their legs as a once promising season seemingly up in flames.
For a team playing for their future – a win guaranteed the home side a spot in the top eight – the Pride were guilty of overplaying their hand, trying too hard, and came up with far too many errors.
Yes, the Bears are third on the ladder and are a very good football team, but this Pride team had an opportunity to do something they haven’t done since 2018, and that’s make the finals.
Cephas Chinfat scored in just the eighth minute, finishing a sweeping play to the left to put the Pride on the scoreboard first and give the home side hope.
But two converted tries in three minutes – the first through Jonus Pearson and the second a length of the field effort finished by Guy Hamilton – put the visitors in front and in command at the 16-minute mark.
When Sami Sauiluma crossed in the 22nd minute, another try converted by Josh Rogers, the Bears led 18-4 and the Pride’s finals hopes appeared dashed.
A Grant Anderson try in the 29th minute helped the Pride close the gap, but despite several promising attacking raids – and two long range runs by Mark Rosendale – they couldn’t break the Bears defence.
The second half was dour for the most part.
Neither side were completing anywhere near as well as they did in the first stanza, and while both coaches might be happy with the execution in defence, they wouldn’t be too stoked with their control of the football.
A Jeff Lynch try in the 68th minute – the big prop forward bursting on to a short ball from 10m out – sealed the Bears’ win, and leaves the Pride nervously watching the scoreboard for the next 24 hours.
Anderson scored his second with seven minutes to play.
It looked as if he dropped it cold, but he got enough boot on it before it hit the turf and raced through bewildered Bears defenders to plant it in the in-goal.
A mistake from the kick-off led to a drop-out, but Andre Niko dropped the cross-field kick as he tried to score, giving the Pride another crucial late set – which they turned into point when nick Lui-Toso fought his way under the sticks.
Evan Child didn’t wait for the tee, planting it in the turf and sending the ball over the black dot to reduce the deficit to four points with three minutes left.
Back-to-back-to-back penalties, plus the sin-binning of Bears halfback Hamilton, gave the Pride a chance to snatch it at the death.
But, as had hurt them all afternoon, the Pride pushed one too many passes, and dropped the ball with the try line – and a finals berth - begging.
The Pride will finish eighth if the Capras can draw with or beat Sunshine Coast Falcons, who will take the Pride’s spot in the top eight with a win at Sunshine Coast Stadium.
CORRIGAN ON THE CUSP OF SELECTION
AN injury not commonly associated with rugby league players has hampered livewire Northern Pride fullback Jayden Corrigan’s return to the field, but the club will not risk their electrifying custodian suffering a potentially “career-ending injury” as they fight for survival in the Intrust Super Cup.
The Pride will on Saturday host third-placed Burleigh Bears, and for the Cairns club to reach their first post-season since 2018, the equation is simple: win the game.
Draws against last-placed CQ Capras and the Tweed Seagulls have come back to haunt the Pride, who sit just two points clear of the Sunshine Coast Falcons, who also boast a superior points differential.
The Pride’s round 15 clash with the Falcons was one of two regular season fixtures lost due to the suspension of community sport after a Covid outbreak in southeast Queensland, and it means the club is in a situation where their season could end with the wrong outcomes this weekend.
Corrigan has been a big part of the Pride’s successes in 2021, and is arguably one of the buys of the season.
The former Norths Devils captured Pride fans’ imagination with his speed across the park, safe hands, and an innate ability to break tackles he had no right to break.
He averages 148m with the Steeden tucked under his wing, and while he has scored six tries (and has two try assists to his name), there are countless others the Pride have scored after his work out of the back.
But the 25-year-old has been hampered by injury.
He hasn’t played for the Pride since the round 13 loss to Townsville Blackhawks at Barlow Park, and in one other game lasted just 16 minutes before suffering concussion.
Grant Anderson, who the Pride recruited from Newcastle, has done a stellar job at the back when required, but the loss of an X-factor like Corrigan has affected the way the Pride play. Corrigan has been fighting a quad injury since that game, and while he has been named on multiple occasions has not taken his place in the team on game day.
Coach Ty Williams elaborated on Corrigan this week, and said the club had trod carefully due to the nature of his torn muscle.
“With that quad injury he sustained a few weeks ago and then rehurt it two Fridays ago,” Williams said, “we need to obviously make sure it’s near 100 per cent before we chuck him in there.
“There was a slight tear in the quad muscle, but the way that it tore was it’s completely different to the way the muscle normally tear.
“It’s an injury sustained by AFL guys by kicking the football. It was a strange one, we don’t normally see it in rugby league and that’s something we need to be careful with because it can haematoma up and get fairly large.
“It can be career ending.
“Dr (Anthony) Kresevic has done a whole heap of research, he spoke to the AFL guys about how we need to treat this. It’s just not like another quad or hamstring injury, just go ‘mate you need to push through it’.
“It’s a touchy one and we need to make sure we manage it the right way so we can prolong his career.
“He’s good some days, others he’s really sore, and if he tears it really bad that’s where there will be some drama. Doc Kresevic has done a great job finding the research and he’s been in contact with professionals who deal with it.
“If he gets through the week, he’s in, but if he doesn’t and there’s any inkling of not being ready, he won’t play. I’ll make the call straight away, and Grant, he did a great job (last week) with more than 160m and was solid at the back.”
Kick-off is at 5.30pm.
WHY THE PRIDE BELIEVES THEY CAN BEAT THE BEARS
A BRUISING, physical victory against one of the Intrust Super Cup’s best teams has Northern Pride coach Ty Williams confident his team will be able to beat Burleigh Bears and secure a spot in the finals as the club eyes a long-awaited and important win at Barlow Park.
The Pride have lost their past three games in Far North Queensland (two at Barlow and one at Atherton), but their entire season depends on victory against the Bears this Saturday: win, and they’re into the finals, but if they lose, they could miss the eight altogether.
A gritty 24-16 win against the Dolphins has the Pride primed for another tough encounter against a Burleigh side smarting from a loss to the ninth-placed Falcons.
“It’s a bit different when you play at home,” Williams said.
“When you travel, us coaches can control that environment – pregame, postgame. It’s different when you’re at home and you’re more relaxed. We just need to make sure that we prepare well and know they’re going to ... do a job on us.
“I think we showcased our physicality; our boys got in the grill of Redcliffe and got into them, and we’re physically sore but … we’ll freshen them up and make sure they’re ready to go Saturday arvo.”
Williams said the Pride had no injury concerns, with hope that fullback Jayden Corrigan would return from a quad injury, though he was buoyed by the way his players bounced back against the Dolphins after a heavy loss to Tweed Seagulls the week prior.
“It’s exciting for us,” he said. “We’ll prepare as normal … but heading into the last round, it’s exciting we’re there or thereabouts again.
“The reaction I got out of the playing group on the weekend was the pleasing thing; I think we got a lot of confidence out of that.
“Burleigh, another big team, very good football team and well-coached by Rick (Stone) and that crew down there.”
matthew.mcinerney1@news.com.au
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