2013 Northern Pride RLFC season
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2013 was the sixth competitive season for the Cairns based Skill360 Northern Pride Rugby League Football Club. They were one of 12 clubs that played in the eighteenth season of Queensland's top rugby league competition, QRL's Intrust Super Cup, with each team playing 11 home games and 11 away games over 24 weeks between March and August.
Club information | |||
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Full name | Northern Pride Rugby League Football Club | ||
Nickname(s) | The Pride | ||
Colours | Black, teal and gold | ||
Founded | 2007 | ||
Website | northernpride.com.au | ||
Current details | |||
Ground(s) |
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CEO | Chris Sheppard, Brock Schaefer (2013-2014) | ||
Coach | Jason Demetriou (2013-2014) | ||
Captain | Ty Williams (2011-2013) | ||
Competition | Intrust Super Cup | ||
2013 | 1st | ||
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Records | |||
Premierships | 2 (2010/2014) | ||
Runners-up | 1 (2009) | ||
Minor premierships | 2 (2013/2014) |
New coach Jason Demetriou was appointed on a two-year deal, replacing last year's coach, David Maiden (2010-2012), who was now QRL's Cairns-based Region Co-ordinator.[1] Demetriou had played for Newtown Jets in the Metropolitan Cup, before moving to England where he played centre, lock, second-row and five-eighth for Lancashire Lynx, Rochdale Hornets, Widnes Vikings, and Keighley Cougars, was captain for Wakefield Trinity Wildcats, and an international, having represented Canada in the 2000 Rugby League Emerging Nations World Championship, and Greece in 2007.[2] He was coach for the Keighley Cougars (2011-2012), before moving home to Australia to take up the job with the Pride. In his first season in Cairns he was awarded the 'Men of League' Coach of the Year.[3]
The Pride moved their administration from Jones Park, Mann Street, to 'Northern Pride HQ', Moore House at Barlow Park, and the team spent more time training at West Barlow Park.
The Pride played three pre-season trial matches. The first was the opening match to the North Queensland Cowboys v St George Illawarra Dragons trial match, which attracted a crowd of over 12,000. The game against the winners of the 2012 Digicel Cup, East New Britain Province side Agmark Rabaul Gurias, attracted a crowd of several thousand enthusiastic PNG ex-pats.[4] [5] The third trial saw a full-strength Pride squad with six [[North Queensland Cowboys}Cowboys]] beat local rivals Mackay Cutters 40-12. Two weeks later in Round 1 the Pride beat the Cutters 44-12.
The Round 4 away game against Tweed Heads Seagulls was relocated to Billy Slater Oval, Callendar Park, Innisfail with funding provided by Cassowary Coast Regional Council. Country Week (Round 20), was played at Jilara Oval, Yarrabah, effectively giving the Pride two extra home games this season.
Except for Round 2 and Round 9, the Pride were on the top of the ladder every week, finishing in first place at the end of the regular season with 17 wins to claim their first Minor Premiership. Despite their winning form this season, the Pride lost both the Major Semi-Final (to Easts Tigers) and the Preliminary Final (to Mackay Cutters), missing out on a Grand Final appearance. The Cutters went on to defeat the Tigers in the Grand Final.
At the end of the season Captain Ty Williams retired.
- Northern Pride 2013 ISC video highlights (10 Videos).