By Adam Sheldon

Norths head coach Dan Ritchie has told Rugby News he is expecting a strong response in the club’s away trip at Wests this weekend, after fielding nine debutants in their 16-point opening round loss to Sunnybank.

Ritchie said his young side would need to learn quickly if they were to upset the Bulldogs, who are also looking to bounce back from a disappointing loss, with the side trounced 38–17 by Easts.

“We need to learn quickly that when you make a mistake at first grade level, good teams punish you, and that’s exactly what happened against Sunnybank,” Ritchie said.

“We will see a response. We’ll make some improvements around our defence and our effort areas.”

He expected to face a strong Wests outfit, which, despite finishing third on the ladder in 2025, had the best points differential in the Hospital Cup – 147 more than minor premiers Brothers.

“Wests are always strong. They recruit better than anyone in the competition and they’ve got strike power all over the field,” Norths’ head coach said.

“They’ve also got a new group, so they’ll take time to gel, but they went toe-to-toe with Easts for 50 minutes last week.

“They are a strong opposition, and we need to make sure we learnt from round one, and that we don’t give them the opportunities the way we did to Sunnybank.”

The Norths head coach singled out 22-year-old fullback Will McCulloch as the player to watch this weekend.

McCulloch scored a “freak try” last weekend which included a 50-metre run and an audacious chip-and-chase, with Ritchie claiming it showed the one-time Reds player was a “cut above” the competition.

“It could be a contender for try of the year as the season goes on,” Ritchie said.

“It was great to see him back on the park. He made his Queensland debut late last year and has had some injury challenges, so it was great having him back. He loves playing for Norths when he gets the opportunity.”

Elsewhere, he expected more from last week’s back row debutants Alex Watkins, Charlie Cook and Ray-zed Wilson, who were “exceptional” and hard-working in the defeat.

Round two’s games also see UQ host Easts, with 2025 premiers Bond travelling to Souths.

The final fixture – GPS at home to Brothers –was singled out by Ritchie as the game to watch.

“That game is always a good one. They’re fellow northside teams and traditionally very strong,” he said.

“We saw a bit of GPS in the trial – they’re in a bit of a rebuilding period. Brothers are always strong and will get players back once the Reds’ season finishes.”