Downs star signs new NRL deal
Coote says team needs to ‘pull their fingers out’
THE Cowboys have won four games in a row, but fullback Lachlan Coote says they need to “pull their finger out” as they prepare for a brutal home stretch that will make or break their top-four hopes.
The fifth-placed Cowboys have made their detractors look foolish who wrote them off after Johnathan Thurston’s shoulder injury by winning every game since the champion playmaker was ruled out for the season.
However all four were against bottom-eight teams, Penrith, Canberra, Souths and the Warriors, and the real test of their premiership credentials awaits.
They face the secondplaced Roosters in Sydney on Saturday night before hosting ladder leaders Melbourne, a trip to resurgent Penrith and a home clash with defending premier Cronulla.
Without Thurston the Cowboys have resolved to win games on extra efforts in defence, which has transformed them into the stingiest team in the league since round nine.
They again withstood an early blitzkrieg from the Warriors on Saturday night before strangling the visitors out of the game.
However they were guilty of a few basic errors that kept New Zealand in the game, and Coote said they need to improve against the benchmark teams.
“We’ve got some tough games coming up the next few weeks. We’ve got teams in the top four,” he said.
“We’ve got to pull our fingers out a bit and not make those silly errors when we’re playing teams like that.”
The Cowboys have simplified their game without Thurston and while it may not be attractive at times, it’s getting the desired results.
“That’s what we’ve had to do, losing that main playmaker in Thurston,” Coote said.
“That’s what it’s going to come down to. We’ve lost a couple of cogs losing Johnno.
“It’s just that extra effort. We may not be perfect in our structure and holding our line but everyone’s showing up for each other.
“We just have to play that grinding football. Hopefully we can back our ‘d’ and keep them from scoring a lot.”
While the Cowboys’ run home, which includes a home blockbuster against the Broncos, is the toughest of any top-four contender, Coote is looking at the positives.
Wins will take points off their top-four rivals, and the stretch will ensure they’re battle-hardened for finals.
“If we can keep rolling this way, we’re winning those tough games and that’s what you need in finals footy.”