Fixing deficiencies a matter of trust, says forward
THE Cowboys’ right edge defence has been put on notice, and they will need to respond to the call in the face of the Sydney Roosters.
Challenges do not get more confronting than the back-to-back defending premiers, and the North Queensland have had holes in their wall exposed in emphatic losses to the Parramatta Eels and Wests Tigers in recent weeks.
Last week those flaws were highlighted profoundly by the likes of Fijian flyer Maika Sivo, and Cowboys forward Shane Wright said it all came down to trust.
The 24-year-old missed seven tackles in the 42-4 loss, and he said a lack of communication and connection between each member of the right-hand side compounded the attacking threat the Eels already presented.
That would not stand against the Roosters, even with a home crowd of up to 7500 on their side, and Wright said they needed to rebuild the faith in each other to impress their dedicated fanbase.
“We just didn’t connect as a right edge, I need to connect with Cliffo (Jake Clifford) and so on – he needs to connect with Esan (Marsters) and then Feldty (Kyle Feldt),” he said.
“We were all pretty honest in the review and want to get better, because we know we let the boys down on the weekend.
“Just connection and having a bit of trust for each other and our inside players. That’s probably the biggest thing – trusting the inside.
“Copping a loss like that is always hard and it’s hard for the fans to cop and the team, but we’re at home this week and it’s a short turnaround so we can get back and rectify that problem and hopefully get a win this week.” The decision to move star recruit Valentine Holmes from fullback to the wing has proved spots are very much still up for grabs in the Cowboys’ ranks.
However the Queensland Origin flyer has reportedly taken it on the chin well, and his experience could be even more beneficial in tightening the edge defence combinations.
Wright said someone of Holmes’s calibre was important to have off the field, given what he had achieved in the game and the difficulties he had overcome to get to his status in the NRL.
He said while the Roosters would be missing some big names in Daniel Tupou, Boyd Cordner and Victor Radley, those who assumed those vacancies would be equal to the task.
“He’s been good, even when he was injured he had a lot to say in those honest review meetings,” Wright said.
“He brings a lot of experience, he’s played in big games so it’s massive for him to speak up.
“I don’t think any position is safe, if you’re not getting results your position’s under threat.
“At this point in time I think it’s just important to take it week by week and focus on the team we’re playing.
“It might help us if they have a few big outs, but I don’t think it’s going to make much of a difference – they’re the reigning premiers so we have to be good.”
O Origin side and setting a record for most tries in an interna national game (six).
Since arriving in North Queensland the 24-year-old ha has not reached his peak in terms of his running game, bu but his ball-playing ability has been on show regularly. Perhaps his experience on the wing could be the key to shoring up the Cowboys’ edge defence, while also enab abling them to get the best out of dynamic teen Hamiso T Tabuai-fidow.
LAST week Maika Sivo ran rampant to score four tries t for the Parramatta Eels as the Cowboys were humbled b in Sydney.
Now perhaps an even more daunting challenge awaits