By Adam Sheldon

Norths captain Harry Langbridge has blamed complacency for a string of recent losses in the Hospital Cup, adding its crucial his side get back to winning ways against Wests at home this weekend. 

Norths started the season in fine form, with a series of impressive results, headlined by a commanding 52-point win over UQ. While some fans began to talk up Norths as a dark horse premiership contender, three consecutive losses have served as a harsh reality check, with Dan Ritchie’s side slipping to seventh on the ladder.

Langbridge, who has played at fly-half this season, blamed a lack of effort and complacency for Norths’ drop-off.

“I think it’s more about laziness and complacency,” he said.

“After some good wins early on, we started thinking we were quite good and didn’t push ourselves enough. That’s cost us, and it’s shown in our effort and execution.”

He told Rugby News last week’s bye round had come at the perfect time, allowing his side to reset ahead of a crucial fixture against Wests. 

“The break was good – it’s a clean slate now after those losses,” he said. 

“It’s helped us go back to the drawing board, especially around our detail and effort in training. We’ve been working hard on getting our roles right, making sure everyone’s accountable, and doing the little things that make a difference.

“It’s disappointing to lose those games, but we have a few players back this week and we’re

a bit stronger, so we’re looking to turn things around.”

The Norths skipper said his squad was wary of a Wests outfit that appears to be turning their own early season form slump around, after handing GPS a 48-point drubbing last weekend. 

 “We know Wests are a dangerous team – they’ve got a lot of space, and their loose forwards and outside backs are really good once they get going,” Langbridge said. 

“Our game plan is to keep it tight, control the ball, and work them around the field. We need to limit their counter-attacks and stay disciplined.”

Asked about the tactics for this weekend, Langbridge said Norths would continue to play attacking rugby. 

“We like to move the ball around, find space, and build through several phases,” he said. 

“If we can get our set pieces right — especially our line-outs and scrums — we’ll be in a good position to execute our game plan.”

While three straight losses have highlighted that Norths have a number of key areas to improve on, their long-term goals for 2025 remain the same.  

“We’re still chasing finals footy,” Langbridge said. 

“The last few weeks have just put more pressure on us to win the rest of our games. We’ve got the talent and the mindset, now it’s about executing on the day.”