HARD WORK PAYS OFF IN SPADES FOR YOUNG GUN
THE 4am wake-ups and 16-hour days were all worth the effort for Jake Bourke when he pulled on the Cowboys strip for the first time on Saturday night.
The skilful halfback led from the front for the Cowboys Young Guns as they fought back to beat Gold Coast Titans’ development squad 26-16.
Bourke pulled all the strings in partnership with young halfback Thomas Duffy, setting up two tries and scoring one of his own.
But it has not been an easy road for the teenage playmaker.
Joining the Cowboys Young Guns program this year, Bourke has had to juggle his time in the high performance set-up along with his electrical apprenticeship.
It has meant plenty of long days, but Bourke wouldn’t have traded them for anything as he ran on to the field at Queensland Country Bank Stadium. “It is an honour to wear the Cowboys strip, you don’t really get to wear it unless you’re playing in the NRL,” he said.
“We train all year together as a Young Guns squad and then get fed out to the different feeder clubs. This was our only opportunity to (come together) and wear Cowboys kit before we make the NRL. “You can’t get on a bigger stage than the Cowboys and Broncos Queensland Derby.
“It was a good week, the boys came from everywhere and it was good to get the win.”
The Young Guns squad was reintroduced in the off-season as a breeding ground for the Cowboys next generation of talent, and if the tussle with the Titans is anything to go by, the future is bright.