Emerging Cowboys face game time gaps

NORTH Queensland Cowboys fringe NRL players could line up against on-the-cusp counterparts from other NRL clubs later this year, as several of the competition’s rising stars face the prospect of no match experience each week.

The NRL will restart its 2020 season next month, but what the year will look like for players on the peripheral of selection is unknown.

With the QRL cancelling this year’s Intrust Super Cup season, squad members from four NRL clubs – North Queensland, Brisbane, Gold Coast and Melbourne – will be unable to lace up in the second tier, missing out on regular game time and chances to press their claim.

While they will return to training with their NRL clubs as early as next week, the next time they take a field is less certain.

Cowboys coach Paul Green said the club would be open to playing fringe squad matches against other Queensland NRL clubs to give players allimportant game time, but conceded the ongoing impact of COVID-19 made it impossible at the moment.

“It’s pretty hard to nut what that looks like out until we get a little bit more of a relaxation around social distancing and group numbers and things like that,” he said.

“But we were looking at potentially doing stuff like that before the restrictions became a lot tighter. Hopefully, if the infection rate continues the way it is, we might look at doing things like that.”

With limited game time, players who aren’t in the Cowboys’ starting 17 who are off contract at the end of the season could struggle to prove on the field if they deserve to stay at the club. “But we’ve got a pretty good handle on what our players can and can’t do.”

Cowboys playmaker Jake Clifford was left out of the NRL side for the opening two games before the season was suspended.

Despite the uncertainty, Clifford was in good spirits and said he just wanted to play some footy.