The boss gets shirty

Fired- up Green reads riot act to dozy Cowboys

“GET your s-- t together”.

It was the crux of Cowboys coach Paul Green’s short and sharp halftime spray which sparked his sides’s season- saving win against Wests Tigers on Friday.

Down 10- 6 at the break at Campbelltown, the Cowboys broke the shackles to overcome an eight- point deficit with three late tries.

Winger Antonio Winterstein said Green’s well- aimed tirade hit the mark but said it should not have been necess- ary in such a crucial game.

“Greeny gave us a good blow up at halftime and snapped us into shape,” Winterstein said.

“It was one of his best this year. He didn’t say much, it was probably two sentences which really opened everyone’s eyes up.

“We’ve got to learn to perform well instead of needing a spray from Greeny. I don’t think we need that to play well.”

The victory snapped a fourgame losing streak for the Cowboys ahead of Thursday’s blockbuster with rivals Brisbane in Townsville.

Stand- in captain Gavin Cooper said they were playing too conservatively in the first half and Green reinforced that fact in blunt fashion.

“We had a blow up at halftime, so to speak,” he said.

“We needed it, we played pretty safe in the first half and it wasn’t getting us anywhere.

“That’s all it was ( a short message). It was ‘ get your s-- t together’ and away we went.”

Green was not certain about whether his address lit the wick for his players, but praised his injury- plagued team’s resilience.

Four experienced players – Cooper, Winterstein, Lachlan Coote and Shaun Fensom – returned for the match and their composure had an instant impact.

“I’m not sure ( if it was a factor), it was certainly sharp and to the point,” Green said.

“We played a bit safety- first at the start and we had to back ourselves.

“It was a strange feeling going into a game and not having someone debut. It’s even nicer to finish a game and not have an injury list as long as your arm.”

Cowboys halfback Michael Morgan said Green’s words typified the attitude within the group that having several key men out injured was not an excuse for losing.

“They were pretty loud words, he wasn’t over the moon with us,” Morgan said.

“And that’s what it’s like internally, everyone can talk about the injuries we’ve had and who’s not playing, but we want to be winning.

“That’s why we play the game and no matter who’s in the side, they’re expected to do the job.

“He was just frustrated because we weren’t playing how we spoke about.”