LEAVE ‘EM WITH A SMILE
Cowboys plot winning farewell to home stadium
CANTERBURY admit the odds are stacked against them to keep the top eight dream alive in what looms as an emotionally charged NRL clash against North Queensland tonight.
The game marks the Cowboys’ final appearance at inaugural home ground 1300SMILES Stadium before relocating to their 25,000-capacity, $250 million North Queensland Stadium next year.
Then there is North Queensland’s touching tribute to favourite son Matt Scott in the Round 24 clash, retiring his No.8 jersey for the night as the forward recovers from a mild stroke.
And the Cowboys appear galvanised after dismissing reports that surfaced this week that coach Paul Green had a heated argument with captain Michael Morgan over his leadership in front of corporate partners following their 42-6 round 22 loss to Newcastle.
Hess’s first moment at 1300SMILES Stadium is one he will never forget, and he will be determined to make his last moment there just the same.
More than a decade ago, Hess took the field at what was then Dairy Farmers Stadium for Mt Isa Miners as part of a junior rugby league carnival.
The Mt Isa side got the chance to stay back and watch the Cowboys game that night as the club ran out 26-10 winners over arch rivals Brisbane Broncos.
For Hess and his side, it was a time of celebration.
“It was a Cowboys-Broncos game (that) was the first game I watched here. That was a really exciting time.
“I was probably 12 years old and it was a long bus ride over from Mt Isa,” he said.
“We got to watch the game afterwards and the Cowboys got up that night and I can remember sitting in the bus for a good four hours (and) our whole team was singing ‘the Cowboys are my team’.
“That was my greatest memory of the stadium and hopefully we can be singing it again on Thursday night.”
After a failed centres experiment, Hess returned to the bench last weekend as he played an impact role in the middle of the field against the Panthers.
It was a welcome return for the 114kg battering ram who put in one of his more damaging performances of the year with 73m from 11 carries, including two tackle busts.
But he couldn’t fully get away from the centres, going into the position as cover after Michael Morgan’s head injury assessment forced a reshuffle to the pack.
“I did find my way out to the centres for a bit there; it was just a bit of bad luck. It keeps crawling back and keeps finding me,” he said.
“But it was good to be back in the middle of the park. My role was definitely more simple and I was just happy to play my part in the team. It was a good win to be part of.”
Hess and the Cowboys will aim to maintain that good feeling tonight as they prepare to send off 1300SMILES Stadium the right way against a determined Bulldogs outfit.
With no finals pressure on their shoulders, it is also a chance for the Cowboys to finish the season on a positive note and begin setting up for a long pre-season in Townsville.
“I think we spoke last week about just having fun. We don’t have anything to lose at this time of the season. We just went out there and had fun and put in a lot of effort for each other and that is what it came down to,” Hess said.
“(The Bulldogs) are playing really good footy as of late.
“They are just turning up and having a crack.
“It will be two teams with similar cases and it will be a matter of who wants it more, and who shows that effort for the full 80 minutes.”