Duo set to fire up for kick off

SPORT

THEY’RE inseparable off the field and don’t be surprised if Ben Hampton and Jordan McLean feed off each other on it, too, tonight against the Sharks.

Mareeba’s Hampton will start at fullback in the season opener, sniffing around and waiting for the Australian prop to pop a ball and get the Cowboys’ season off to a flying start.

McLean, from Young in country NSW but now an honorary Far Northerner thanks to his Mareeba-based mum Julie, said the pair didn’t talk much about footy, but expected a breakout year from his little mate, wherever he might play in 2018.

“He’s looking really good and hopefully he can play some good football as well and hold a spot in the team,” the 26-year-old said.

“Last year was Benny’s first year at the Cowboys so obviously being his second year he’s going to have a lot more confidence.

“But when we’re away from footy we don’t talk too much rugby league.

“We’ve got a nice balance of football and a bit less pressure outside it and it has been good to catch up with him and (former Storm teammate) Justin O’Neill again.”

McLean, a father of two, said he hoped the North Queensland lifestyle doesn’t creep into his game.

He’s part of a quartet – including Far North Cowboys Hampton, Javid Bowen and Scott Bolton – who follow their outdoor pursuits chasing pigs when there’s time.

It’s all part of taking the focus completely away from the NRL bubble so they can all do their best work on the park.

Hampton said as they did off the park, he would be wise to keep on McLean’s tail tonight for some pet plays.

“I don’t know if they’re too secret, but I’ll be following him around the field a bit when I’m playing with him, because he can usually get the ball free,” he said.

“Me and him have played a lot of footy together over the time, a lot of under-20s and a fair bit of reserve grade and stuff like that over our time in Melbourne and we’ve trained a lot together as well, we’ve trained together for years, so we can sort of read each other a little bit as well.

“I’ll definitely be hanging around him in that fullback role.”

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