Jensen grabs premiership hope with both hands
AS Cowboys coach Paul Green delivered the news that Matt Scott would not play in Sunday’s grand final, Corey Jensen finally knew the biggest moment of his life had arrived.
Jensen will play in Sunday’s NRL decider against the Melbourne Storm after Green confirmed yesterday that Scott would not make an unlikely return from injury, barring any late injuries.
One of North Queensland’s unsung heroes during their epic finals run, Jensen knew he would have to make way for Scott if Green had decided to hand the 233- game Cowboys legend a grand final berth.
“I knew that if he was coming back that I’d be the one who would miss out, and as I said to a lot of media after the game that if that was the case — and Greeny decided to go with Thumper — then I would have completely understood,” Jensen said.
“He’s a good captain of the side and a great player and if he was to come I knew he’d do the job for the team.
“But to know that I’m playing, I’ll give it my all. We’ve had the same 17 for the last few weeks and it’s worked really well and we haven't had that for the majority of the year.
“Players have been in and out with injury, but we’ve kept the same team together and it shows on the scoreboard.”
Jensen has now strung 14 consecutive NRL games together and is averaging 70m a game, with his average game time lasting 25 minutes.
Signed by the Cowboys last year following his breakout 2016 season for the Townsville Blackhawks, Jensen was expected to provide depth in the Cowboys’ demanding Origin period.
“At the start of the year I was hoping for one or two games during Origin, but because of the injuries we’ve had in the side, which is unfortunate for the team, it gave me an opportunity a bit early,” Jensen said.
“I’ve had to work hard to get where I am today.
“I knew if I continued to train hard and hold my spot, anything could happen, so to be playing in a grand final ... I couldn’t ask for anything more.
“Thumper and Scott Bolton have been huge for me. They know my strengths but they can also see my weaknesses and I like that they help me out.”