Cooktown will be the centre of the Cape York rugby league universe when the Northern Pride tackle the Wynnum Manly Seagulls in a 2024 Hostplus Cup Country Week clash on 27 July. Photo: Supplied.
Rugby league fans from across Cape York will descend on Cooktown for a footy fix on 27 July when the Northern Pride go head to head with the Wynnum Manly Seagulls.
The much-anticipated clash will be part of the 2024 edition of Country Week, with the Pride aiming to bring its winning form north in front of what will be a sold out crowd at John Street Oval.
The Country Week concept was a hit for the Pride when they travelled to Weipa last year, and head coach Eric Smith said the team was looking forward to running onto the paddock in front of a parochial Cooktown fan base.
“It means a lot to us any time we get to take our footy to anywhere in our footprint, and the locals there are going to get to see a top-four encounter with Wynnum and us at the top of the ladder, so it’s going to be a quality game of football,” he told Cape York Weekly.
“It’s exciting for some of the new players who haven’t experienced Country Week before to get out to the other communities around Cooktown.
“Our team and some of the players will be up there for the week prior doing school, club and community engagements; we’re looking to get a massive crowd up there to build a sea of Pride supporters.”
The clash will have a local element with Balnggarrawarra and Guugu Yimithirr man Bradley Michael having designed the jerseys the Pride will wear as they aim to continue their 2024 campaign near the top of the Hostplus Cup ladder.
Mr Michael, who also designed the jerseys the North Queensland Cowboys wore for their round 12 game against the West Tigers in Townsville, said the design depicted the region’s recovery from the December 2023 flood disaster.
“The circles in the middle represent the communities affected by floods inside the weave,” he explained.
“The outside circles represent the people from outside of the flood-affected communities helping with supplies, housing, food and comfort.
“It does take a village of people to rise up and make a community great again.”
Minister for Tourism and Sport Michael Healy said ensuring fans in remote parts of the state could continue to see quality rugby league clashes in their own backyard would remain a priority of the government.
“I will keep advocating for taking a game to Cape York so rugby league fans can get their footy fix,” he said.
“We know some of our greatest footy talent comes out of Cape York, and Hope Vale is a terrific nursey for future players.”
