NORTHERN Pride paid the price for being outmuscled last year and coach David Maiden is adamant it won't happen again.
The Pride paid dearly for a lack of size in the forwards in last year’s Queensland Cup grand final, with the Sunshine Coast’s Manly affiliates bashing the Far Northerners into submission.
The loss of Luke Harlen to a broken hand in the lead-up to the premiership decider and Alex Starmer with a broken collarbone in the opening minutes of the match certainly didn’t help.
But Maiden made bulking up his entire pack a priority for his first season at the helm.
"I felt we needed a few more kilos on each of our players," Maiden said. "A lot of them got good gains on there."
Players have made gains of 2-3kg across the board after months in the weights room.
But there has been a trade-off on the field in the pre-season.
The Pride looked sluggish in the closing stages of its trial loss to a Cowboys combination at Barlow Park on February 20 and was scrappy against Penrith affiliate Windsor Wolves at the weekend.
But Maiden is confident the players’ muscle gain will pay off in the long run.
A foundation Cowboys player, Maiden has not flogged his forwards in the humidity, performing a balancing act in a bid to maintain their weight gains.
"I haven’t flogged them so we can keep that on them," said Maiden, who encourages his players to consume four litres of water and isotonic drinks to prevent weight losses of as much as 2kg per session in the tropical heat.
"Now they’re starting to get match fitness and hopefully they’ll maintain that weight.
"They’re starting to get used to carrying that around as well.
"It’s a catch-22. You can’t flog them to get them fit and then expect them to put weight on."
Maiden admitted the strategy could be seen as a gamble.
"It almost is, but Scotty Callaghan, our strength and conditioning guy, has prepared them really well and they’re going pretty good, I’m pretty happy with them," he said.
"I know by round two or three they’ll be used to doing that."
Endurance aside, the added size seemed to aid players like Joel Riethmuller and Alex Starmer, who were outstanding off the bench for the Pride against Windsor.
"They were very good, they came on, brought enthusiasm on and worked very well," Maiden said.
The coach faces a selection nightmare ahead of the round one grand final rematch on March 13, with the prospect of several Cowboys forwards being sent back to play in Cairns.
