Coote keen to justify club’s trust
COWBOYS fullback Lachlan Coote has pledged to repay the faith shown in him by North Queensland following the club’s decision to knock back Ben Barba.
Coote made a successful return from a calf injury in the Cowboys’ shock victory against Canterbury last week and will be crucial to North Queensland’s chances of inflicting revenge on Cronulla at Southern Cross Group Stadium tonight.
The Cowboys are expected to be without star halfback Johnathan Thurston for the fourth straight game, thrusting more responsibility on Coote and five-eighth Michael Morgan to fire.
And Coote has been buoyed by North Queensland’s public declaration he is their No.1.
Barba’s management sounded out the Cowboys about the possibility of the former Dally M medallist joining the club next season.
With young gun Kalyn Ponga bound for Newcastle, the Cowboys could have looked to bolster their fullback stocks but will instead stick solid with Coote.
Coote, 27, is contracted to the Cowboys until the end of 2018 and said he wanted to finish his career in Townsville.
“When I was going into negotiations last year, it was good they showed they were interested in signing me for those two years,” Coote said.
“To hear that (they don’t want Barba) now, it makes it real I guess. I’ll be here for an- other year and we’ll see where things go from there. I’d like to stay here until the end of my career. There’s no doubt it’s a great club and they’ve been good for my family as well.”
The Cowboys were impressive without Thurston last week and don’t have to look far for motivation tonight.
Cronulla ended the Cowboys’ dreams of back-to-back titles last year with a 32-20 preliminary final win. The Cowboys were well below their best at Allianz Stadium that night and the memories fuelled their gruelling pre-season. “It was tough,” Coote said. “That feeling of not playing to our potential and going out that way, you feel like you let down the team a bit, especially myself personally.
“We’re obviously past that feeling now and it’s a new year. If we dwell on that we’re only going to go backwards.
“We’re over that now. It hurt a little bit but there’s nothing you can do about it now. They are a quality team. There is no doubt they could be playing that well again.”