MISSION REMAINS THE SAME
COWBOYS coach Paul Green insists his team still have the mindset they can go deep in the finals despite enduring an injury crisis he described as one of the most challenging periods ever for the club.
Gavin Cooper ( calf) and Lachlan Coote ( ankle) were yesterday both named on the extended bench for Friday’s crucial clash with the Tigers.
Winger Antonio Winterstein has been named to make his return from two weeks out with a hamstring injury, while Shaun Fensom ( knee) looks set to bolster the middle third.
In another boost, the elbow injury suffered by John Asiata in Saturday’s loss to Cronulla wasn’t as serious as first thought, and he trained strongly yesterday.
Coote looks the least likely to play after failing to train with the main group.
Green joked the Cowboys jumping from eighth to seventh on the NRL ladder despite a fourth loss on the trot could be the change of luck the club had been searching for.
The naming of his team yesterday was delayed by over an hour as he frantically tried to nail down 17 fit bodies to travel to Campbelltown. “It’s a bit challenging at the moment, there’s a few guys who are borderline and we won’t know until right up until the last session whether or not they’re fit,” Green said.
“We’re about to come out of what has been one of the most challenging periods for the club, since I’ve been here anyway. I’m very proud of the boys and how they approached it.
“They haven’t stopped competing even though they’ve been given plenty of reasons to roll over. If you hang in long enough it does turn for you. Maybe the Manly- Canterbury result was the start of a change of luck for us.
“If we were to take the attitude the world’s against us and we’ve got these injuries and we’re no chance, we won’t be a chance. But we’ve shown we can compete against the best.
“It’s really important we re- tain that mindset because we have plans to go deep in the finals and everyone needs to have that mindset throughout the club, and I think they have.”
The Cowboys are ahead of ninth- placed St George Illawarra by two competition points, and the Dragons have a superior for- and- against with two rounds remaining.
Green said the situation made it more likely he would take a punt on the fitness of some stars to ensure they play in September.
“We don’t have the luxury of too many more weeks left and where we’re sitting on the ladder it probably puts us more towards that position than being a bit cautious,” he said.
Green said Kalyn Ponga’s shoulder injury he played with for 40 minutes on Saturday night wasn’t as bad as expected and he is a chance to return over the next fortnight.