HOLDING THEIR EDGE
COWBOYS coach Paul Green has implored his team to ensure the mental fortitude they’ve built their successful era around isn’t eroded in the closing rounds, with little to play for other than pride.
North Queensland’s 38- 12 loss to the Raiders in Canberra last week was their heaviest defeat since they fell 42- 12 in Round 11, 2014, to the same opposition.
It’s a statistic which reflects the club’s culture in fighting for every scrap, regardless of the situation they find themselves in.
Green was particularly disappointed with his side’s finish to the game in the nation’s capital, where they conceded four tries in the final 15 minutes.
He is confident it wasn’t a mental drop- off given the team is no chance of playing in the finals.
“I don’t know, it’s a hard one to say but I’d be disappointed if that’s the case,” Green said.
“It’s more about ( maintaining) the reputation we’ve built up over the last few years. We don’t clock off, no matter what the score is, we never give up. I’m not saying we gave up ( against Canberra), but there were some tries we conceded that we were disappointed with.
“We’ve worked hard over the years to get to that point ( where we’re considered a tough team to play), and it takes a while.
“Unfortunately you can lose it pretty quickly and I’m not saying we’ve lost it yet. But certainly no matter what the score or our situation is, we want to be known as a team that competes, and that’s important for us for the rest of the year.”
Green now faces the task of finding a balance between naming a side that can compete for wins with introducing some fresh blood to build for next year.
The likes of halfback Jake Clifford, centre Kurt Wiltshire and winger Murray Taulagi could all come into calculations for NRL debuts over the closing seven weeks.
“We’ve never been known to give up and we’re not about to give up now,” Green said.
“It’s about getting the balance right between trying to win each week, but you also start to have one eye on next year in terms of giving some young guys some opportunities.
“We’ve still got seven games to go so we want to make sure we’re in all of those.”
WE DON’T CLOCK OFF, NO MATTER WHAT THE SCORE IS, WE NEVER GIVE UP. I’M NOT SAYING WE GAVE UP ( AGAINST CANBERRA), BUT THERE WERE SOME TRIES WE CONCEDED THAT WE WERE DISAPPOINTED WITH. COACH PAUL GREEN ( PICTURED)