Cairns game crucial as Cowboys vie for spots
RETIRED Cowboys legend Brent Tate says North Queensland’s trial game against Wests Tigers next month will go a long way towards bedding down the team’s best 17 for next season.
Last year’s grand finalists will take on the Tigers on Saturday, February 17 at Barlow Park, with star co-captain Joh- nathan Thurston expected to play after missing much of last season with a shoulder injury.
Tate said the trial game was crucial for former Dally M medallist Thurston following the emergence of halves Michael Morgan and Te Maire Martin last year.
“I think he will play,” Tate said of Thurston yesterday.
“He hasn’t played footy for a long time so he needs to get back into the groove.
“It’s going to be interesting to see how JT and Morgo work together this season because Morgo was so dominant last year, obviously.
“But that’s what we’ll work out in these trial matches. Preseason trials will be important for us because we’ve got a lot of guys fighting for spots.
“It’s a great way to start our year off up in Cairns.”
Asked whether he expected Martin to play as a hooker alongside Morgan and Thurston next season, Tate said the abundance of playmaking talent was “a good problem for the club to have”. “It’s a tough one,” he said. “But I think it’s a good opportunity for Te Maire to get tutored and learn for another 12 months.”
The match is set to be a homecoming for several Cowboys born and bred in the Far North, including Innisfail’s Scott Bolton and Mareeba’s Ben Hampton.
“It’s always pretty full when we come up here,” Tate said.
“It’s a good opportunity for guys like (Edmonton Storm junior) Enari Tuala and (the Tully Tigers’) Jake Clifford that are from this way to put on the jersey in front of family and friends.
“We are North Queensland, we’ve always said that.
“We’re not just Townsville.”