Sport
8 May, 2026
Pride in tight situation
THE Kenfrost Homes Northern Pride remain locked in a tight finals race after a dramatic 20-all draw with the Redcliffe Dolphins, with coach Sam Williams saying every competition point could prove decisive later in the season.
The Pride sit eighth on the ladder following the weekend clash, which featured three field goals and a tense finish.
Northern Pride head of commercial partnership Raine Porter described the game as “brilliant” and said it carried “Origin vibes at times with the craziness and hunger”.
Mr Williams said the result highlighted how even the competition had become.
“It probably shows exactly where the comp is at the moment,” he said.
“It’s an extremely tight top eight and even just outside of that eight it’s really tight.”
Mr Williams admitted the Pride were disappointed not to secure the win after conceding a late penalty.
“That’s probably the biggest thing,” he said.
“It’s not like you go there scratching your head trying to work out where things need to be fixed. It’s just moments in games that are probably frustrating at the moment.”
Despite the late setback, Mr Williams said there were positives to take from the performance against one of the competition’s heavyweights.
“To play them, they’re one of the powerhouses of the competition, go down there and come away with the points, so you do move on,” he said.
“But it would have been nice to have the two.”
The coach said the closeness of the competition meant every week carried finals-like intensity.
“There’s not going to be a big gulf in who plays finals and who doesn’t,” Mr Williams said.
“So, we’ve just got to make sure we get on with it and go down and try and get two points this week.”
The Pride now travel to Souths Logan to face the Magpies on Sunday after Souths Logan recorded a strong win over Mackay. Mr Williams said the challenge would again test his side on the road.
“They’re a good side,” he said.
“But we showed last weekend we’re up to it and the travel didn’t worry us.”
