Northern Pride to remedy slip-ups
PRIDE captain Chris Sheppard says the team will take a back-to-basics approach this week after paying the price for enthusiasm in its Queensland Cup loss to the Sunshine Coast.
Sheppard admitted the Pride panicked at times against the Sea Eagles, trying to make the big plays after falling behind 16-6 in the opening half.
"We did panic a little bit there but a lot of it was just because we didn’t have enough ball, we didn’t have time to set our foundation, we didn’t have enough ball in that first half," Sheppard said.
The Pride was forced to defend for the first nine minutes of the match after making an error from the kick-off, with the Sea Eagles scoring twice in that period.
"It gets hard and you try and come up with big plays when you really just need to knuckle down and work away and try and build some pressure," Sheppard said.
The Pride tried to go to its much-vaunted backline to remedy the situation but Sheppard admitted it was a push too soon.
"We fell into the trap a bit of trying to play too wide and going side to side because Stiggy (five-eighth Ryan Stig) and I can play with such width," he said.
"I think we’ve just got to be wary of that and really try and take them up the middle and play our big boys first."
Coach David Maiden said there were plenty of positives to come out of the game, including the fact that the Coast’s three scoring moves had come from early Pride errors.
"I was happy with the way the guys defended," Maiden said.
"They showed great urgency, they showed plenty of commitment, they weren’t afraid of the contact, you can’t fault them there.
"We just need a little more cohesion and that will come with match time and that will come with a bit more match fitness."
The Pride names its team today for Saturday’s home clash against Wynnum-Manly.
Cowboy James Tamou could be included again after being a late call-up for the Sea Eagles clash, while another of the Pride-aligned Cowboys forwards could come into contention later in the week if front-rower Carl Webb recovers from a calf-muscle tear.
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