Clifford’s wary of ‘bruised’ Roosters
JAKE Clifford knows the Roosters are “busted and bruised” but he warned that any club which took them lightly was doomed to fail.
The Cowboys are riding high after a thrilling derby win over the Broncos, but with 10 errors and 38 missed tackles in the 19-18 win over the Broncos, North Queensland knows it will need to tighten up its game.
The Roosters have one of the worst casualty wards in the competition, which has been exacerbated by the loss of Drew Hutchison with broken ribs and a punctured lung.
However, Clifford is well aware of the talent still lurking in the depths at the Roosters, and teenage headline
grabber Joseph Suaalii is likely to be the next cab off their production line.
“The Roosters are busted and bruised at the moment but they have a good-quality team no matter who they put on the park,” Clifford said.
“We have to match them physically and skilfully, so we will sit down (this week) and put up a game plan to take them down.
“We can definitely use the motivation and momentum (out of the Broncos game). It was good to stay in the game and the grind. We were making things hard for ourselves but we defended them.”
The halfback returned from Intrust Super Cup in the Broncos clash, and put in one of his best performances in the Cowboys’ No.7 jersey.
Clifford was not afraid to take the line on, while his kicking game, which included several towering bombs, put constant pressure on the Broncos’ back three.
But his defining moment came in the dying stages when he made a blistering 50metre run down the righthand sideline as the Queensland Country Bank crowd rose as one.
Rather than look for a Hail Mary play to lock up the scores, a composed Clifford took the tackle from Broncos fullback Jamayne Isaako in a moment praised by coach Todd Payten.
“My calves were cramping up, but I would have looked like Winx right?” Clifford said. “I looked infield to see if anyone was there. I couldn’t
see anyone so I just took the tackle. The whole team stayed composed to get to a spot on the field, and Jase (Jason Taumalolo) finished it off with his size and strength.
“In those situations you can tend to throw the ball around and get a bit frantic, but we stayed composed and calm and got the rewards.
“I knew there were a few more tackles up our sleeves and I knew with four minutes to go we had to make the most of every opportunity we could. There was no one around in support, so the only option was to hold on to it.
“I didn’t want to try to take him on the outside because there was no room. I just ran into him and if I palmed him off (then I score) but I didn’t.”
Payten highlighted Clifford’s
run and the halfback’s composure after he almost dropped the ball before Valentine Holmes’ eventual match-winning field goal.
“I thought they just stayed composed,” Payten said. “When Clifford made that break in the right corner it was a really smart decision to hold the ball and fight another day. Some smart decisions made in big moments was what won us the game.
“(Clifford) should take a lot (of confidence out of the game). He ran the ball, kicked well and defended well.
“As a half, they are my three messages consistently week to week. If you get those three done, you are going to have a good game.
“He will grow a leg from that (performance).”