Sport
12 June, 2026
Pride still confident despite pair of losses
NORTHERN Pride coaches remain confident their teams are heading in the right direction despite a pair of losses at Barlow Park on Saturday.
The Pride’s BMD Premiership side opened its 2026 campaign with a 40-20 defeat to the Souths Logan Magpies, while the Hostplus Cup team fell 30-22 to the Wynnum Manly Seagulls.
Despite the setbacks, BMD Premiership head coach Colin Wilkie said there were positives to take from the performance and the focus would be on improving defensive execution.
“There are some technical parts of our defence that we’ll continue to work on, but ultimately it comes down to individuals wanting to go after it defensively,” Mr Wilkie said.
“My job as a coach is to make them better. There are a few things we’ll address as a group, but we’ll learn from it, move forward and keep improving.”
The match marked an important milestone for the club’s women’s program, with nine players making their Northern Pride debut in the season opener.
Mr Wilkie said the team was focused on developing combinations and establishing its identity as the season progresses.
For the Hostplus Cup side, head coach Sam Williams said the loss to Wynnum Manly highlighted how closely matched teams are in the 2026 competition.
“We’re a good side when we want to be,” Mr Williams said.
“We completed well, defended really well for large periods of the game and created plenty of opportunities. The difference came down to a couple of missed tackles and a few key moments that led directly to points.”
Mr Williams praised his side’s response after conceding early points and said only a handful of moments separated the two teams.
“The competition is so tight, there is only a 1-point difference between 10th and fifth in the competition. There was very little between the two teams on the day apart from a handful of moments,” he said.
