Fien can’t wait to see devastating duo hook in to opposition on field in North
IT WAS one of the exciting pre-season battles at the Cowboys, with the arrival of young buck Reece Robson spurring Jake Granville to produce some of his best work.
Granville appears to have shaped up to the challenger, who arrived at the Cowboys with plenty of praise and a fouryear deal under his wing.
Robson has been touted as a future Origin dummy-half with his rough and rugged approach a perfect fit to get the Cowboys on the front foot.
But Granville has the runs on the board, with his extra zip out of dummy-half inspiring the Cowboys to the 2015 premiership. But coming off arguably his worst season at the club, he had to improve.
TOWNSVILLE Bulletin sports editor or Matthew Elkerton asks the burning ng questions ahead of tonight’s return rn to rugby league in North Queensnsland.
Two months is a long time to have off the field. It shows when en most clubs return to pre-season in November, only two months after er the season. They then complete a full three-month pre-season to
While many had the pair in opposite corners duking it out for the hooking duties, coach Paul Green has instead unleashed them as possibly the most devastating onetwo punch in the ruck.
And former Cowboy Nathan Fien can’t wait to see it in action.
Fien spent most of the second half of his career at dummy-half, including in the Dragons’ premiership win in 2010. Through his affinity with the southern Sydney club, he has had an up-close view of what Robson can do, and he can’t wait to see it on the field in the North.
“I have had a lot to do with (Robson), being able to watch his development and progression through the Dragons,” Fien said.
“It was great that he got the opportunity up here to be honest.
“He is a classy player, he is one of those guys who is very tough and he has a great feel for the game.
“I think he can bring a lot to the game.
“But in saying that, Jake Granville is a stalwart of the Cowboys, he is a premiership winner and he is just as tough and rugged. It is definitely a tough battle.
“(I think) you could use them in tandem. It is just how Greeny will use the interchange.”
Granville’s impressive off-season output is something not foreign to Fien, who was pressured by several rising stars in his final years at the Dragons. Highly touted youngsters Mitch Rein and Cameron King both put pressure on the ageing Fien, something he said could have gone either way.
“At the end of the day, catches up with us all,” he said.
“(As an older player) you definitely get an extra gear, but there is always something extra you can bring.
“I went through it at the Dragons with a young guy, Mitch Rein.
“When he came through the ranks he was seen as a future NSW dummy-half. He was under my wing for a little bit.”
One man who will also have plenty to say about the dummyhalf battle is Reuben Cotter, after the 21-year-old Sarina product made his debut for the Cowboys last season.
Cotter played five games towards the back end of 2019 and earned a one-year contract extension at the club over the off-season. age
prepare pr the players’ bodies for the next season.
While most players have been working out in isolation, lat it is not a substitute for full-contact team training.
The Cowboys have only had two weeks of full-contact tr training and concerns about soft-tissue injuries coming ou out of the NRL suspension have already been realised.
Experienced forward Gavin Cooper ( left) will miss ton night’s clash with a calf problem he sustained in the first w week back at training.
Whether that injury toll continues to rise after the game is a concern for most. All we know is that the club’s chief physiotherapist, Steve ‘Chicken’ Sartori, will be kept on his toes over the next couple of weeks, but at least he is one of the best in the business.