Tully talent Clifford gunning for Martin’s jersey
COWBOYS youngster Te Maire Martin insists he is embracing the heat being applied by halves rival Jake Clifford as speculation mounts he will be given an NRL shot sooner rather than later.
Coach Paul Green said on Tuesday it was unlikely halfback Clifford would be blooded against the Dragons at 1300SMILES Stadium on Saturday night.
But the door was left slightly ajar when fullback Lachlan Coote was included in both the Cowboys and Mackay Cutters teams, while Clifford wasn’t named for Northern Pride.
Martin joined North Queensland midway through last year and injuries to Johnathan Thurston and Michael Morgan have given him first crack at locking down a halves spot when Thurston retires.
But he’s aware of the threat posed by the Tully junior, who sent another message with a brilliant man-of-the-match performance for the Queensland under-20s last week.
“It’s always healthy for any club you’re at to have some competition,” Martin said.
“He’s really knocking on the door to get a debut and I believe it will come shortly.
“He’s a very good player and there’s a whole lot of players knocking on the door for first grade.
“If you’re slipping up now, you don’t get too many second chances.
“With so much talent coming up, you want to play your heart out to keep that jersey.” COWBOYS star Coen Hess has delivered a brutal self-assessment of his second full year in the NRL, conceding he has fallen victim to a State of Origin hangover.
Hess made his Queensland debut in the final two games of last year, but said he had struggled mentally and physically to back up for the second-last Cowboys, who will miss finals for the first time since 2010.
Hess was far from North Queensland’s worst in last week’s 38-12 loss in Canberra, running for 100m off 12 carries in 54 minutes off the bench.
But the 21-year-old refused to use his jam-packed schedule as an excuse and will focus on regaining the aggressive edge he based his superb rookie season around.
“I’ve played a fair few games the past two weeks but I didn’t really perform as well as I need to in Canberra,” Hess said.
“The fatigue factor is no excuse either.
“It definitely takes its toll. You play a few games in a short period of time. Being young, I have to learn and accept that.
“My performances after Origin were nowhere near up to standard compared to some other boys who played Origin.
“That’s something I can learn from, and something I definitely need to improve on.”
Hess had his best Origin performance of the series in Game Three, rediscovering his fearless running game in the Maroons’ face-saving win.
“I’m probably at my best when I’m doing that,” Hess said. “In camp that’s all Kevvie (Kevin Walters, Queensland coach) wanted me to do was run hard, and I think simplifying it made it better for me.
“That’s what I need to concentrate on during the back end of the year, is running through the line.”