Teenager refuses to back down
THE firebrand in Tom Gilbert was on show at several junctures on Friday night, but none more prominently than his scuffle with Daly CherryEvans.
There was no disrespect intended from the 19-yearold, no desire to diminish the Manly star’s status in the game.
He was sending a message: “We will not be pushed around.”
Gilbert’s introduction into the NRL has come equipped with a reputation as an aggressive forward who refuses to take a backward step, regardless of who he is faced with.
That attitude earned him the mantle of the 2019 Intrust Super Cup rookie of the year, but it also contributed to his three-week suspension earlier this season.
Since the up-and-coming forward has returned to the Cowboys’ starting 17 he has stayed in control, however his eagerness to get under the skin of Cherry-evans seemed to garner the ire of the Sea Eagles skipper.
For Gilbert, it was about showcasing the attitude of the North Queensland side in the Josh Hannay era that they will not bow to anyone.
“I definitely wasn’t trying to be disrespectful to the Queensland captain, but at the end of the day they were the opposition and I was trying to find my rhythm in the game,” he said.
“I kind of wanted to get the point across that for these last 10 rounds, clubs aren’t coming up here trying to think we’re easybeats.
“We’re trying to turn the season around in terms of the attitude and mentality that our brand of football is going to be for the next 10 weeks.
“I think we’re really big on actions, so I don’t want to say too much, but if we can show a bit more aggression in the right way — there were some cheap penalties out there — but I think it will go a long way to trying to turn this season around.”
Despite the 24-12 loss at Queensland Country Bank
Stadium, there were marked improvements in effort areas that caught Gilbert’s eye.
Mitch Dunn’s desperate goal-line defence to hold up Manly forward Jack Gosiewski embodied the mentality change, and the Cowboys were able to respond in kind through a Kyle Feldt try on the following set.
But there were other moments that resulted in confidence being stripped away and having the tide turn against them — such as when Coen Hess fumbled a kick as he attempted to score, only for Manly to seal the game six tackles later.
These are the areas Gilbert sees the need for improvement — not just building pressure in segments, but throughout the 80 minutes.
Against Manly the teen sensation turned in his best first-grade effort, making 26 tackles for no misses and running for 73 metres.
“I’ve got this period where I just need to get through work and bring energy, so for me if that’s 30 minutes or 20 minutes I know I’ve just got to make my tackles, make my hit-ups,” Gilbert said.
“You’ve got players like Jase (Taumalolo) who are really effective in attack, compared to someone like myself, so I think it’s really effective if I can make their tackles for them so he’s able to bring his full ability into attack.”