A QUIET A CHIEVER
jonathon. tuxworth@ news. com. au @ bulletin_ sport IT’S September 26, 2015. The North Queensland Cowboys are preparing to take on Melbourne Storm for a spot in the grand final. Prop Scott Bolton is steeling himself for his 150th NRL game, but his teammates are none the wiser. The laid- back, fishing- obsessed country boy from Innisfail detests a song and dance being made about him. It’s why the 30- year- old loves nothing better than dropping in a line in his tinny in his spare time. The solitude of being in nature, away from the high stakes pressure of elite rugby league, is his outlet. If Bolton had his way, he’d probably prefer not to conduct a press conference talking about his 200th NRL game against Cronulla tonight. That preliminary final two years ago where Bolton kept his milestone close to his chest sums up his team first approach. He’s a really unselfish player and person,” Cowboys teammate Michael Morgan said. “He doesn’t like the limelight too much, and doesn’t like a big fuss being made about him. “As his teammates we always knew what a good player he is and how important he is to the side, but this year he’s shown a lot more people in the wider community what type of player he is. You want to make it a memorable night because it’s a great achievement for him.”
Bolton said he had reminisced about that preliminary final this week and regards it as one of the more special games of his career.
“We went into our first ever grand final after that game,” Bolton said.
“I was thinking about that a couple of nights ago. It was probably one of my most memorable games, playing that milestone and going into a grand final. “I rate it up there with my debut.” The Fox Sports advertisements for tonight’s clash against Cronulla wax lyrical that it’s “little Jimmy Maloney’s 200th.”
While the Sharks playmaker is lauded, Bolton’s name isn’t mentioned and the man himself wouldn’t care less.
Last week he lost five kilos through illness but still played big minutes against Penrith as injured teammates dropped like flies around him.
He remains three kilos below his regular playing weight for tonight’s match but just gets on with the job.
With Matt Scott out for the year, James Tamou now at Penrith and Ben Hannant retired, Bolton has shouldered huge responsibility on and off the field, averaging 135 metres and 31 tackles a game.
He admitted he has surprised even himself at time on what he’s capable of having played off the bench for most of his career.
“It’s been very rewarding and I’ve said it before, you get a lot back when you put a lot in,” Bolton said.
“This has definitely been one of the toughest years I’ve been involved in injury wise. It’s a credit to the depth we’ve got at the club that everyone keeps coming in and doing the job.”
Fittingly, Bolton’s match falls on the Cowboys “Old Boys” weekend. Legends of the club will be on hand to watch him join them as a life member.
Matthew Bowen, Johnathan Thurston, Scott, Aaron Payne and Paul Bowman are the other members of the 200- club.
Bolton may not have the same profile of those superstars, but teams can’t win premierships without reliable, consistent performers of his ilk.
“Boltsy is a pretty reserved character and doesn’t make a big deal out of too much at all,” Cowboys coach Paul Green said.
“He’s really stood up and I think he’s done a wonderful job for us in the absence of Matt Scott. If anyone needs a reason to play their best ( tonight), showing some respect for what he’s done for us this year is it.”