Sport
2 April, 2026
Pride to regroup over Easter
NORTHERN Pride endured a difficult weekend on the field, going down 26-18 to the Burleigh Bears in the Hostplus Cup while also suffering a 44-10 loss in the Mal Meninga Cup.
The Hostplus Cup result leaves the Pride sitting fifth on the ladder following the round, while both squads faced challenging contests against Burleigh.
Despite the defeats, head coach Sam Williams said there were encouraging signs in the performance.
“We were solid on the weekend, but you don’t win from just that – you have to take it further. We missed a few key defensive tackles and dropped off at times,” he said.
“The lads will all freshen up over the Easter bye and bring a big game for Mackay,” he said.
The Pride will now regroup during the Easter bye before returning for a key stretch of fixtures during the school holidays, with games scheduled for 11 April and 18 April.
Meanwhile, the BMD Women’s squad continues preparations ahead of their season, with head coach Colin Wilke highlighting the importance of match experience.
“With only 11 rounds in the women’s season, game time is limited, so several players have been getting valuable minutes in local competitions to build combinations and adapt to the heat and intensity of FNQ footy,” Mr Williams said.
Several Northern Pride CCC players named for North Queensland Cowboys development matches. Fynn Hawkins and Manti Eteru have been selected for the Cowboys under-17 game against the Broncos, while Zaeden Kitchen-Ely, Ioane Kolo, Manti Eteru, Joel Makka and Jayden Herewini have been named for the Cowboys under-16 muster game.
