2020 was the thirteenth competitive season for the Cairns based Kenfrost Homes Northern Pride Rugby League Football Club. They were one of 14 clubs that competed in the twenty-fifth season of Queensland's top rugby league competition, QRL's Hostplus Cup. The Northern Pride were due to play 12 home games and 11 away games over 23 rounds between March and August, but the season was cancelled after Round One due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Before the season was cancelled, the Pride played three pre-season trials, two of which attracted large crowds - the trial against the Blackhawks was a curtain-raiser to the NRL Cowboys v Broncos pre-season trial, and the Pride's trial against the Hunters attracted a large ex-pat following.
Coach Ty Williams named a new six-man 'leadership group' composed of Javid Bowen, Rod Griffin, Matolu Laumea, Patrick Gallen, Tom McGrath, and new recruit Josh Stuckey. From this group Williams chose Javid Bowen as captain, and Rod Griffin as vice-captain.
A new three-year naming rights sponsor, Kenfrost Homes was announced in December 2019. The Pride had been without a major sponsor since the Sea Swift sponsorship ended in 2017. The Pride are one of five QCup sides that do not have the financial backing of a major leagues club.
Before Round One, the QRL adopted the NRL's COVID-19 guidelines, which included a 'no fans' policy, meaning the games would be played before empty grandstands.
On 17 March, two days after the completion of Round One, QRL announced the competition would be suspended for ten weeks due to the COVID-19 pandemic.https://www.qrl.com.au/news/2020/05/18/qrl-coronavirus-updates/ It was hoped QCup would resume with Round 12 in June, but the rapidly deteriorating situation with the pandemic meant on 26 March the Queensland Government announced Stage 1 Restrictions on movements across the Queensland border, which would affect NSW club Tweed Heads Seagulls, PNG club SP Hunters, and the feeder arrangements that Easts Tigers and SC Falcons had with the Melbourne Storm and the Ipswich Jets had with Newcastle Knights. Consequently, the next day QRL cancelled the competition for the 2020 season. QRL managing director Robert Moore stated, "by making this announcement now, it provides our clubs with the opportunity to re-set and turn their attention towards the 2021 season". The Pride reduced to a staff of three, with the CEO, Coach and Commercial Manager Alannah Giuffrida retained on reduced wages. Many of the Pride's New Zealand players returned home before the NZ border closed.
In the absence of football, the Cairns Post ran a series ranking the top fifty Northern Pride players from the last 12 seasons.
As the year progressed, there was talk of staging some games, with the Pride, Blackhawks, Cutters and CQ Capras playing a Northern Championship, but travel costs were prohibitive and the idea was abandoned.
In August the 'Kenfrost Homes Lightning Challenge' was held between two CDRL clubs (Brothers Cairns and Tully Tigers), and two teams from the Pride. The Pride combined their ISC side with their HDC U-20s side to make the 'Pride Giants' and 'Pride Reef Kings'. Games were played in Cairns and Tully over six rounds. Pride coach Ty Williams took a back seat, leaving the coaching to Bevan Walker, Pride's ISC assistant coach, and Dave Scott, Pride's HDC U-20 coach. Controversially, two of Brothers Cairns games were abandoned when match officials were abused. The 'Pride Reef Kings' were undefeated and won the competition.
At the end of the season, Northern Pride football operations manager Chey Bird resigned. CEO Tony Williamson also resigned.
2020 Season – Kenfrost Homes Northern Pride
Competition: Intrust Super Cup Sponsor: Kenfrost Homes. Jersey supplier: ISC.
Staff
Coaches/Trainers Coach: Ty Williams. Assistant coach: Sam Obst. Assistant coach: Bevan Walker. Hastings Deering Colts U-20 coach: Dave Scott. Mal Meninga Cup U-18 coach: Bobby Berg. Strength and Conditioning Coach: Scott Callaghan.
Captain Captain: Javid Bowen. Vice-captain: Rod Griffin.
Managers Football operations manager: Chey Bird. Commercial manager: Alannah Giuffrida. Chief executive: Mark Quinn. Chairman: Tony Williamson. Board Members: Peter Parr (replaced by Micheal Luck), Stephen Devenish, Gail Andrejic, Stephen Tillett, Colin Moore, Ian Lydiard, Terry Medhurst.
2020 squad The Pride used 17 players in the one match they played this season. Eight of these players played for the Pride last season, and two of the Cowboys' allocation players had already played for the club. Seven players made their debut this season; four were new signings (Bernard Lewis, Chris Ostwald, Josh Stuckey and Nick Lui-Toso), and three were new Cowboys allocation players (Ben Condon*, Connelly Lemuelu* and Wiremu Greig*). Former Cowboys allocation players Gideon Gela-Mosby and Javid Bowen signed to the Pride for this season.
Javid Bowen (c) Rod Griffin (vc) Bernard Lewis Brad Lupi Cephas Chinfat Chris Ostwald Gideon Gela-Mosby Jack Campagnolo Joe Eichner Josh Stuckey Nick Lui-Toso Patrick Gallen Rod Griffin Matt Egan
Denzel King Evan Child Ewan Moore Mat Laumea Matthew Musumeci Pio Seci Quinlyn Cannon Shawn Bowen Steven Tatipata Taulata Fakalelu Terrence Casey-Douglas Tom McGrath
Beau Berg Curtly Hope-Hodgetts Gabriel Bon Heilum Luki Jacob McCarthy Mark Rosendale Matthew Gibuma Stanley Anau
Ben Condon* (NYC Development) Connelly Lemuelu* Jake Clifford* Peter Hola* Wiremu Greig* (NYC Development) Trial Match only: Ben Hampton* Allocated but did not play for the Pride in 2020: Coen Hess Gavin Cooper Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow Jordan McLean Reece Robson
Player gains Player From League From Club NotesJavid BowenNRL Telstra Premiership North Queensland CowboysGideon Gela-MosbyNRL Telstra Premiership North Queensland Cowboys Nick Lui-TosoNRL Telstra Premiership Penrith PanthersJosh Stuckey NRL Telstra Premiership Canberra RaidersBernard LewisNRL Telstra Premiership Sydney RoostersGeorge FaiNRL Telstra Premiership Brisbane BroncosRod GriffinIntrust Super Cup Townsville BlackhawksMatt EganIntrust Super Cup Burleigh BearsChris OstwaldIntrust Super Cup Easts TigersTaulata FakaleluCDRL Innisfail BrothersBrooklyn HerewiniManawatu RL Whanganui Boxon Development playerRaymon Tuaimalo VaegaNRL U20s New Zealand Warriors Development player Pio Seci Intrust Super Cup Ipswich JetsProblems with his visa meant Seci did not arrive for pre-season training. Tevin Arona NZRL National Competition Canterbury Bulls Arona was released before the start of the season to return home to New Zealand. George Fai Intrust Super Cup Souths Logan Magpies Fai signed for the Pride, then changed his mind and signed to rugby union's Queensland Reds.
Player losses after 2019 season Player To League To Club Tom Hancock Intrust Super Cup Townsville Blackhawks Connor Jones English RFL Championship Featherstone Rovers Dave Murphy CDRL Ivanhoes James Dempsey CDRL Ivanhoes Hugh Sedger CDRL Ivanhoes Jordan Biondi Odo CDRL Brothers Cairns Jared Allen CDRL Kangaroos RLFC Will Bugden Retired (concussion) Maurice Blair Retired Bradley Stephen Released Cameron Torpy Released Brayden Torpy Released
Cowboys no longer allocated to the Pride Player To League To Club Enari Tuala* NRL Telstra Premiership Newcastle Knights Nene Macdonald* NRL Telstra Premiership Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks Kurt Baptiste* Intrust Super Cup Easts Tigers Gideon Gela-Mosby* Intrust Super Cup Northern Pride Javid Bowen* Intrust Super Cup Northern Pride
2020 season launch Pre-Season Training: 4 November 2019, West Barlow Park. Pre-Season Boot Camp: Daradgee Environmental Education Centre, Innisfail, 17–19 January 2020. Professional Development Weekend with NRL coach Anthony Griffin: Daradgee Environmental Education Centre, Innisfail, 8–9 February 2020. Season launch: 9 February 2020, Mount Sheridan Plaza, Mount Sheridan. Season launch: 7 March 2020, The Pier Bar, Cairns $30.
2020 player records Most Points: Jake Clifford* (6). Most Tries: Jake Clifford* (1), Connelly Lemuelu* (1).
Jerseys
Trial matches
Round Opponent Score Date VenueTrial 1 Cairns Foley Shield side 3216Saturday, 15 February 2020Petersen Park, EdmontonTrial 2 Townsville Blackhawks634Saturday, 22 February 2020Barlow Park, CairnsTrial 3 PNG Hunters3624Saturday 29 February 2020Barlow Park, Cairns
Kenfrost Homes Northern Pride: Unlimited Interchange: * = Cowboys allocation. Coach: Ty Williams. Cairns Marlins Foley Shield Squad: Unlimited Interchange: Note: The temperature reached 40 °C.Terrence Casey-Douglas went off with HIA.
Kenfrost Homes Northern Pride: Unlimited Interchange: * = Cowboys allocation (2 players allocated for this match). Townsville and District Mendi Blackhawks: ? Coach: Terry Campese. Note: This game was played as a curtain-raiser to the North Queensland Cowboys v Brisbane Broncos pre-season trial. This was the first time in 30 years that the Broncos played in Cairns. The game was played in very wet conditions. Pride Prop Taulata Fakalelu was sin-binned in the match for repeated infringements in the ruck. Pride winger Bernard Lewis was placed on report for a shoulder charge late in the game.
Kenfrost Homes Northern Pride: Unlimited Interchange: * = Cowboys allocation (4 players allocated for this match). SP PNG Hunters: Unlimited Interchange:
Hostplus Cup matches
Kenfrost Homes Northern Pride: Interchange: Reserve: (* = Cowboys allocation - 5 players allocated for this match). Tweed Heads Seagulls: Interchange: (* = Gold Coast Titans allocation). Note: The match was relocated to Tugun in Queensland from the Seagulls usual home ground at Piggabeen Sports Complex, Tweed Heads West in NSW due to heavy rain affecting the playing surface.This was the Pride debut for Bernard Lewis, Nick Lui-Toso, Chris Ostwald, and Josh Stuckey, (Pride Players 170-172 & 175), and North Queensland Cowboys allocation players Connelly Lemuelu*, Wiremu Greig* and Ben Condon* (Pride Players 169 & 173-174). PositionRound 1 – 2020PWDLBForAgainstDiffPts11 Northern Pride100103216-162
2020 ladder 2020 Queensland Cup Team 1 Easts Tigers11 0 0 44 4 +40 22 Burleigh Bears11 0 0 34 6 +28 23 Tweed Heads Seagulls11 0 0 16 10 +6 24 Townsville Blackhawks11 0 0 16 10 +6 25 Redcliffe Dolphins11 0 0 22 16 +6 26 Papua New Guinea Hunters11 0 0 32 30 +2 27 Norths Devils11 0 0 23 22 +1 28 Mackay Cutters10 0 1 22 23 -1 09 Souths Logan Magpies10 0 1 30 32 -2 010 Sunshine Coast Falcons10 0 1 16 22 -6 011 Northern Pride10 0 1 10 16 -6 012 Ipswich Jets10 0 1 10 16 -6 013 Wynnum Manly Seagulls10 0 1 6 34 -28 014 Central Queensland Capras10 0 1 4 44 -40 0
QCup matches cancelled due to COVID-19