Morgan injury adds to Cowboys’ misery
A POTENTIALLY seasonending injury to Cowboys skipper Michael Morgan has highlighted a concerning trend for the North Queensland outfit.
The State of Origin utility succumbed to a calf injury in the opening 15 minutes in his side’s 28-12 loss to the Cronulla Sharks, becoming the third star of the embattled club to suffer the fate on the road.
He is expected to miss at least three weeks.
Jordan Mclean was sidelined for an extended period after the clash with the New Zealand Warriors, and last week it was Tongan sensation Jason Taumalolo who left the field against Newcastle.
All three calf complaints have happened during fixtures in which same-day charter flights have been used due to coronavirus biosecurity measures.
Cowboys coach Josh Hannay said there was no denying the trend after his side’s 28-12 loss to the Sharks on Saturday.
“Under normal circumstances we’d fly down there the day before the game, or two days before the game in some instances, and I think it gives the players the opportunity to get over the flight and then play the game the next day,” Hannay said.
“It’s not my area of expertise, but certainly there’s a trend there with three guys doing calf injuries in same day travel.
“They’re fairly influential players, and there’s no doubt the road trip takes a toll. The fact he (Morgan) couldn’t come back on I’d say he’s going to miss some time.”
In the early exchanges with the Sharks there was plenty of enterprise from the visitors, which showed promise that their losing streak may finally come to an end.
A touch of class from Scott Drinkwater put Kyle Feldt over for his 12th try of the season just six minutes in, however from there proceedings took a turn.
Despite Cronulla’s inexperience in the halves, young guns Connor Tracey and Braydon Trindall played beyond their game tally to inflict a ninth straight loss upon their rivals.
There were plenty of instances that disappointed
Hannay, however in the likes of Tom Gilbert and Mitch Dunn, the coach said he saw them “become men”.
The 19-year-old Gilbert was particularly impressive, running for 115m and making 30 tackles off the bench, despite playing out of position in the backrow when Dunn was shuffled into the halves.
“We had a couple of players where their DNA was all over a couple of the tries Cronulla scored and they let the side down,” Hannay said.
“But there were some efforts there, I thought Tom Gilbert – a middle forward playing on the edge – geez he was tough, I thought he was enormous.
“And Mitchell Dunn, playing on the edge and having to move to five-eighth to cover for Morgo’s loss, I just thought he played some football.”
Hannay is yet to register a win as Cowboys head coach, and the club is expected to make an announcement on their 2021 leader soon.
The former centre is one of four names in the mix – along with former assistants Todd Payten and John Cartwright, and English supremo Shaun Wane.