Cowboys yearn for the joy of six
ONLY one of them can have the Cowboys’ No.6 jersey, but halves contender Jake Clifford says it won’t affect his relationship with Scott Drinkwater.
Clifford and Drinkwater will line up alongside each other in tonight’s pre-season trial match against Round 1 opponents the Broncos in Cairns and the former Pride star says the positional battle with his mate will be the furthest thing from his mind when he takes the field.
ONLY one of them can have the Cowboys’ No.6 jersey, but halves contender Jake Clifford says it won’t affect his relationship with Scott Drinkwater.
The pair are jostling for the starting five-eighth position and the right to partner skipper Michael Morgan in the halves in the Cowboys’ NRL season opener against the Brisbane Broncos on March 13.
Clifford and Drinkwater will line up alongside each other in tonight’s pre-season trial match against Round 1 opponents the Broncos in Cairns.
Tonight and next week’s trial against the Storm will be the only opportunities they’ll have to impress coach Paul Green before the season kicks off, after both were among the Cowboys’ best in their NRL Nines triumph last weekend.
Drinkwater, who earned Player of the Tournament honours, arguably outpointed Clifford, despite an impressive showing from both parties.
Clifford said the positional battle with “good mate” Drinkwater would be the furthest thing from his mind when he took the field tonight, with his focus on ticking all of the right boxes in his own game.
“It hasn’t really been spoken about but it’s just expected,” he said. “We know we’re both fighting for a position and trials are where you’ve got to try and prove you deserve that spot. We both know what we’ve got to do.”
He said switching between the five-eighth and halfback position, as he has done since making his debut for the Cowboys in Round 19 of the 2018 NRL season, had little effect on his on-field role and the way he played the game.
“I’ve always loved to be in control of what we’ve got to do,” he said.
“I guess having the seven or the six on my back doesn’t really change that, it’s just up to me if I go out and do it or not.”
Clifford said he knew what was required to give him an edge: “Just make sure I kick well, make sure I’m getting the boys around the field really well and make my tackles – I think that’s the biggest thing,” he said.
“If I can end sets in good field position for us and D up well, we should go quite good.”
Clifford started 15 games last season, but only the first five were at five-eighth before he made the move to halfback.
Drinkwater returned from a serious pectoral injury in Round 15 and went on to play 10 games at fullback.
“It’s going to be a good challenge this weekend,” Clifford said. “Nines is fairly different to 13-a-side, so I’m looking forward to having a good run and trying to put my best foot forward for that position.
“It’s always good to come back home and I know it’s going to be a packed stadium, so I can’t wait.”
The NRL trial between the Cowboys and the Broncos will kick off at 7pm at Barlow Park, with Queensland Cup feeder sides Northern Pride and Townsville Blackhawks playing off in a curtain-raiser.