Norths will aim to stretch their Hostplus Cup finals winning streak into double figures today without most of the faces that took the club to last year’s premiership.
The Devils team to meet Townsville Blackhawks in the qualifying final at Bishop Park will have six players from the group that won last year’s grand final against Redcliffe.
Captain Kierran Moseley and Sam Elliott return from the premiership forward pack while Jack Ahearn, Jordan Lipp, Jacob Gagan and Manase Kaho retain their backline positions.
That can be the nature of a Hostplus Cup that remains a pathway to fulltime contracts. Five of the Devils’ 2024 premiership forwards earned deals this season in the NRL and UK Super League.
But there’s an asterisk on that statistic – the Devils will today field Matthew Milson, Tony Tumusa, Sean O’Sullivan, Ben Nakubuwai, James Flack and Jerome Veve who have all played in finals matches for Norths.
The Devils are seeking their 10th consecutive Hostplus Cup finals win which would stretch the record they took from Ipswich (five wins, 2015-2018).
But they must first overcome the impressive Blackhawks who have remained near the top of the table all season and now stand one win away from a preliminary final.
“We always say in this competition that there are no easy games and we know how tough finals matches are,” Devils coach Rohan Smith said.
“Townsville have been very good all season and they have a lot of experience.
“We approach every season knowing that we need a full squad to play as well as we can. That squad approach is always important.”
The Devils met the Blackhawks once this season, falling in a close match in Townsville in June.
The Blackhawks have finished the season on the road with three consecutive away matches while the Devils played twice at home included victory over the Capras last Saturday.
