Green still feels the passion

NORTH Queensland Cowboys coach Paul Green can expect an invoice from the Campbelltown Sports Stadium this week after he stripped the paint off the walls at halftime.

Fox Sports cameras caught the Cowboys coach delivering one of the most impassioned sprays on his players after a dismal first-half display against the Tigers. And it worked.

The intensity and commitment in defence in the second half was a world away from what was dished up by players before the break.

It will also help to fuel the fire in Cowboys fans.

There was a lot of conjecture about the need for cameras in the dressing room following footage of Latrell Mitchell in tears after the Rabbitohs win over the Warriors on Friday.

Veteran NRL coach Wayne Bennett refused to talk about what had made Mitchell emotional, and suggested the dressing sheds had always been a “sacred place”.

But without the access provided to fans during the halftime break of the Cowboys clash, Green’s passion and intensity would have gone unnoticed by viewers.

The internet was buzzing with discussion that Green was ready to step away from the Cowboys’ coaching role during the first half.

Some of rugby league’s greatest pundits, including former premiership winner Greg Alexander, even suggested the determination was gone from the team.

But there is no denying Green is still as determined as ever to take this team to great heights.

If that is the response he gets from his troops on the field, going on to not concede another try and scoring four of their own, it should also get a similar response from the fans.

Green showed his heart is still in it. He showed he still cares about the Cowboys and watching the club succeed on the field.

According to many outside the club’s four walls, Green’s future appears to be on shaky ground, but at least he is putting up a fight for it.