Hoare ready to grab chance
SAM Hoare is chasing winning feeling again.
Luckless with injuries, the former Cowboy is on track to return to the field for the Townsville Blackhawks in the early stages of the 2020 season.
Last year he returned from an ACL injury and was enjoying a stellar run of form, only to tear the ligament again in June.
While it has been a challenging road, the drive has never left the 28-year-old to get back to his best as he sets his sights on a round three return.
“It’s been a bit of a turbulent time for me personally,” Hoare said.
“Receiving the news was pretty grim, I felt really good in the way I was playing and … I was really enjoying playing footy again. I guess I’m just really chasing that feeling again.
“It takes a lot of intrinsic motivation when you suffer a few injuries, especially when it’s the same one.
“Having that drive in the back of my head has definitely helped me get through this boring part of rehab where it feels like I’m doing the same thing every day.”
Life off the field has enabled the prop to put his football life into perspective.
When his Cowboys contract expired Hoare was able to that find work with Queensland Country Bank and home life with his partner, Micaela Cocks, has led to the pair buying a home together.
It meant that despite the injury setback he still considered 2019 a good year.
But watching his team from the sidelines came with its own heartache.
The Blackhawks surged in the back half of the Intrust Super Cup, only to fall in their home preliminary final against the Wynnum Manly Seagulls.
But Hoare says it had galvanised the team, many of whom were part of the gutwrenching end to the campaign.
“It has driven me to be a part of those big games … it has definitely been a driving force in the rehab,” he said.
“There’s definitely a lot of hunger at the club from top to bottom. There’s probably 30 guys all pulled in the same direction and that’s what it takes to win the comp.
“Everyone right throughout the squad needs to contribute in some way.
“In the 2015 Cowboys squad there were a lot of contributors throughout the year that didn’t play on grand final day. If we want to get to that point everyone needs to be on the same page.”
Hoare takes pride in the 21 times he donned the Cowboys jersey from 2014 to 2018.