Pride recruit eyes chance
ALL Chris Riesen wants is the opportunity to show what he can do.
A member of the Cowboys’ inaugural under-20 intake, Riesen played most of the Toyota Cup season out of position, butting heads in the front row after heading to Townsville as a lock or five-eighth.
Out of contract at season’s end after reaching the Cup’s age limit, Riesen jumped at the chance to link with the Northern Pride and head home to the Far North.
The former Atherton Rooster and Cairns District Rugby League’s rookie of the year in 2007, Riesen started pre-season training with the Pride this week.
"I didn’t have a really good year (at the Cowboys), played out of position in the front row and I never really got a run on," he said.
"So (I decided to) come up here to try and prove a point this year."
Riesen said it had been a confidence-sapping experience last season but hoped to turn things around.
"I just didn’t really get the opportunity to show what I could do but hopefully this year is my year to shine," he said.
"I just want a good crack, get in those pre-season games and have a good shot at it."
While he has set himself the goal of playing most regularly for the Pride, Riesen faces a difficult task to break into the starting squad given Northern’s exceptional forward stocks and newfound depth in the halves.
Coach Andrew Dunemann said cementing a spot in the side would be a real challenge, especially in the opening weeks of the season when he expected several Cowboys players to be sent back to the state league.
"I think there’s quite a few (that need to prove themselves), especially in the forwards," he said.
"We’ve got a lot of depth and we’ve probably got five or six quality players going for three back row positions and in the outside backs as well we’ve got a lot more depth this year.
"So everyone’s going to need to be on their toes, especially in the first few weeks because we will get seven or eight Cowboys players back."
The Pride have several players returning from injury and off-season surgery, but all look on track for the start of the season.
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Proud to be home: A tough year out of position at the Cowboys has Atherton product Chris Riesen fired up for success as he embarks on a Queensland Cup assault with the Northern Pride.
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