SHARKS’ SCARE
Cooper believes shock loss could start new streak
STAND- IN Cowboys skipper Gav Gavin Cooper says the winning streak shattering loss to Cro Cronulla last week could turn out to be a blessing in disguise.
A As North Queensland goes dow down to face St George- Illawarr warra without their State of Orig Origin quartet this evening, Coo Cooper said the Cowboys players w were keen to make amends for giving up an 18- point lead last week. Despite a winning streak that lasted 89 days and 11 matches, Cooper said the players had talked internally before the Sharks game about the importance of putting together a whole 80 minutes.
It’s probably better to have that kind of loss in June rather than September and Cooper said they would be resolved to make sure it didn’t happen again.
“The funny thing is, we had only spoken about it a few days earlier, talking about making sure we’re on the job no matter who we’re playing,” he said.
“Hopefully it’s a blessing in disguise. I don’t see it as that yet, but hopefully it is. ( It’s a lesson in) not to get complacent in anything we do. We know we played well for the first 30 minutes.
“Even the last 10 in the first half wasn’t that flash either.
“What we did in that second half of last week, we had showed glimpses of that in the past weeks and it came back to bite us on the butt a little bit.
“I think coming up against a team that’s there or thereabouts in the top- four this week is going to be a really big test.”
The Cowboys will feature their fifth halves combination in 16 games and are the only club in the NRL to lose both their first choice halves and props to State of Origin.
But Cooper said there was no pressure on halves Robert Lui and Ray Thompson and props Ben Hannant and Sam Hoare to go out and directly replace the interstate match quartet.
“We know we’re not going to replace Johnno, Matty, Jimmy and Morgo, so it’s just about everyone coming in and playing the way we play,” Cooper said. “They are big pairings we’ve lost, our starting halves and front rowers and they’re big shoes to fill.”