Cowboys ride into Darwin duel against Parramatta hell- bent on payback Gunning for vengeance
THE Cowboys are eager to dish out some Top End vengeance against a Parramatta Eels pack that left North Queensland battered and bruised less than two months ago.
North Queensland flies out to Darwin today with a mission to beat Parramatta at its own upfront game, which ran rings around the Cowboys at 1300SMILES Stadium in Round 9. TAUTAU Moga says a positive outlook has been his secret weapon as the hulking Broncos centre prepares to equal a personal milestone against Souths tomorrow night.
It says much about Moga’s hardships in rugby league that since his debut at the Roosters five years ago, when he was dubbed the next Israel Folau, the 103kg hulk has never played more than 14 games in a season.
By the age of 21, he had snapped the ACL in his right knee three times. After three knee reconstructions, Moga was given next to no hope of fighting his way back into the NRL.
They travel to a venue where only four players of the current Cowboys’ squad has played before and, with the thermometer set to reach 30C, winning the early middle battle will be key to North Queensland taking another step towards the NRL top four.
Cowboys winger Antonio Winterstein, along with Johnathan Thurston, Gavin Cooper and Jason Taumalolo, played in North Queensland’s team that beat the Sydney Roosters in Darwin in 2012.
It ended as a 50- 12 carve- up as North Queensland flourished in the sweltering conditions and Sydney melted.
“It was really muggy and
But tomorrow night at Suncorp Stadium, Moga plays his 14th consecutive game for the Broncos and, touch wood, is eyeing his first full season of action, mentally stronger for navigating his darkest days.
“It ( the injury setbacks) was tough to handle, but it was one of those things that I had to get over and I have,” Moga said.
“I just tried to everything I did.
“It’s good to string some games together. Playing every week has taken a toll on my body, but it’s something I have to get used to.
“Being out there regularly has been great for my confidence, but the challenge for me is to keep working hard stay positive in the ball was slippery, but we went up there and did a good job,” Winterstein said.
“We can take a lot of confidence that the last time we went up there we performed really well.
“If you turn up with the right attitude all you have to do is concentrate on your own game and everything will take care of itself.
“Some of the boys haven’t even been to Darwin so it will be a good experience, and we have a good fan base up there.”
More importantly for Winterstein and company will be overturning the 26- 6 hammering Parramatta dished out in April, as the Cowboys played and keep backing it up.” While he concedes he has had some difficult moments this season in attack and defence, Moga has become a forceful presence as a bargain buy on Brisbane’s left edge.
Signed to a second- tier deal, the Broncos are getting fair bang for their buck. The 23- year- old has amassed 1888 run metres at an average of 145m per game, second only at the Broncos to Corey Oates, who has charged for 1943m.
In attack, Moga is matching fiveeighth sensation Anthony Milford with seven line- break assists, underlining his ability to create attacking opportunities for Broncos teammates.
“He is past his injury troubles and without Thurston, Lachlan Coote and Jake Granville.
Even though the Cowboys were missing most of their first- choice spine Winterstein said Parramatta served up an early season lesson in aggression.
“They beat us up a bit, they ran harder than us and tackled harder and really gave us a lesson on how to play with good aggression,” he said. “We’ll be looking to return the favour.”
Granville gets his first crack of the year against Parramatta and is wary of the amount of traffic likely to come his way.
Parramatta may even get halfback Corey Norman back from injury, with the star play- he’s a key player in our side now,” said Broncos hooker Andrew McCullough.
“He’s gone through some tough times, there would be some scarring from those injuries, but he’s got a lot of confidence now.
“I don’t know if he knows this, but we certainly love having him in the team. He’s a big body and it’s invaluable out wide.”
Moga is one of the quietest players at the Broncos and is content for his football to do the talking.
“I don’t say much,” he says with a laugh. “I’m not really a flashy dude.
“I never expected to be the starting centre when I came here. I arrived just looking for a chance to play footy.” maker flying to Darwin with the Eels’ squad yesterday.
“They do run hard, they’re a physical side and they’re going to try and run over us,” Granville said. “We’ll just have to aim up in defence and get some good solid contact because they’re a physical side with plenty of leg speed.”
Granville played one of his better games of the season against the Titans last weekend, providing two try assists and a couple of well- timed kicks, and he believes he is returning to top form after suffering a broken leg.
“It’s feeling pretty much normal now, so I’m enjoying it,” he said.