Tiger turf not so tough
COACH Paul Green is adamant that Leichhardt Oval holds no fear for the Cowboys despite needing to overcome a 19-year hoodoo to keep their season alive against the Wests Tigers tomorrow night.
The suburban rugby league venue has been a desolate wasteland for the visiting North Queenslanders, with just one win from 10 attempts – and that lone triumph came all the way back in 2000.
The former home of the Balmain Tigers, prior to their merger with the Western Suburbs Magpies in 1999, still has a special resonance with fans.
The Tigers rode the emotion of Robbie Farah’s 300th game to beat the Knights last weekend and they’ll look to back that up at their spiritual home after he announced his retirement yesterday.
The Cowboys already have their backs to the wall, needing to win all six of their remaining games in the regular season to cement a place in the top eight.
Green said the Cowboys would focus on their own performance but welcomed the impassioned atmosphere at the iconic ground.
“They’ll certainly have plenty of crowd support there, which is usually good for a couple of penalties at some stage, so we know we’re going to be up against that,” Green said. “We’ve trained at Leichhardt a number of times over the years … so we enjoy playing there. The crowd just adds that atmosphere to the game.”
Winger Kyle Feldt has been named for the Cowboys after leaving the field against the Sharks last weekend with a concussion, while captain Michael Morgan also returns after a series of head knocks.
Versatile forward John Asiata shifts back to the bench, with prop Corey Jensen dropping out of the 17. Backrower Coen Hess will remain in the centres after impressing against the Sharks.
Morgan’s inclusion is a huge boost for the Cowboys, who suffered consecutive defeats to the Sharks and Rabbitohs while their playmaker was sidelined despite leading late in both games.
“He’s obviously our captain and we all know how good a player he can be,” Green said of Morgan. “I think we’ve probably missed a little bit of a steady head there in the last few weeks so it’s good to have him back.
“It’s more so when we get ourselves in positions where we’re in front, which we’ve been quite a number of times this year so far with probably 20 (minutes) to go.
“We just need a bit of experience there to steer the team home and make sure we have winning plays rather than letting teams get back into the contest.”