Scott out to secure new deal
COWBOYS enforcer Matt Scott (pictured) has revealed plans to extend his career to continue his leadership alliance with champion playmaker Johnathan Thurston.
In a major boost for the Cowboys ahead of Sunday’s grand final against the Broncos, Scott outlined his desire to emulate Thurston by signing one more deal to play on at North Queensland.
In July, Thurston told News Corp he had begun preliminary talks with the Cowboys with a view to extending his tenure at the club beyond the 2017 season.
Now his co-captain Scott is putting the notion of retirement on the backburner, with the Cowboys warhorse adamant his battered frame can survive in the NRL in 2018.
The 30-year-old has degenerative discs in his back and neck but is adamant a premiership ring this Sunday can inspire him to soldier on for another three seasons.
“In my eyes, I’m planning to play on beyond my current deal,” he said. “I have twoo year years left on my con contract here, tha that will take me to 32 and I gu guess how lon long I last is go going to be de decided by my body and my form.
“I will just ke keep trying to do the best I can can. I I’ve had my share of injuries, but the game is getting more professional and that makes it easier to manage and cope with injuries.
“I’d love to stay on as long as I can.”
Scott gave the strongest indication yet he will undergo neck surgery after the grand final. It is the second consecutive season the Cowboys bookend faces an operation after a shoulder reconstruction that saw him miss Australia’s Four Nations campaign last year.
“Yeah, it’s looking very likely I’ll need surgery,” Scott said. “We’ll just play it by ear and look at that once the season is finished.
“At the moment, it’s manageable. I have done it for a long period of time, but it’s got to the stage where it’s progressively worse and this is an opportunity to get it fixed up.”
If Scott dominates Brisbane’s middle-third in Sunday’s decider at ANZ Stadium, the Broncos will rue his driving force. As a teen growing up in the Queensland bush town of Ilfracombe, Scott appreciated the nuances of front-row play by watching Brisbane’s greatest prop Shane Webcke.
“I was a huge Webcke fan,” Scott said. “To be honest, I didn’t watch too much footy growing up. We didn’t have Channel 9, we had Imparja … so I watched the odd game of Origin and that was it.” JOHNATHAN Thurston has revealed his body is as battered as it has ever been, with the Cowboys star declaring he has never been through a more gruelling season in his 14-year career.
Thurston’s preparations for Sunday’s all-Queensland grand final against the Broncos have been interrupted by calf and groin injuries, which will limit the four-time Dally M medallist from training until Friday.
The Cowboys had a light run in front of 3000 fans in Townsville yesterday but Thurston barely broke a sweat.
He has only missed three Cowboys games this season and played a pivotal role in Queensland’s ninth Origin series win in the past 10 years, taking his tally of consecutive appearances for the Maroons to 33.
His fiancee, Samantha Lynch, said she had never seen the 32-year-old in such “agony” as he was following last Saturday’s preliminary final win over Melbourne, where he was clearly hampered by the groin problem and suffered a corked calf late in the game.
Coach Paul Green has given his champion halfback as long as he needs to recover from the nagging injuries.
“Without a doubt (it’s the toughest season I’ve been through),” Thurston said.
“It was good coming into the season fresh but the Origin period was one of the toughest I’ve been a part of. Everyone’s playing with niggles after that period.
“You get closer to the semifinals and your eyes start to