Cotter unfazed by talk of Origin
COWBOYS rising star Reuben Cotter is appreciative of his name being thrust into the debate of Origin, but the 23-yearold is not about to be distracted by hype surrounding his potential Maroons selection.
The Mackay-born hookercum-lock is playing the most consistent rugby league of his NRL career so far.
His injury history is welldetailed, with the loss of three consecutive seasons due to ACL tears from 2016 to 2018 and a Lisfranc injury last year curtailing his rise.
But the Indigenous All Stars representative has put that behind him to be producing the best form of his career.
Now with 28 NRL games to his name, Cotter has thrived in 2022 as he cemented his spot in coach Todd Payten’s highflying NRL squad.
In the Cowboys’ pack, he runs for the second-most metres per game behind captain Jason Taumalolo, and averages 34 tackles, second behind hooker Reece Robson, according to Fox Sports Lab.
They’re the type of performances that have led to Cotter being discussed for a potential Origin debut, but he said he won’t be distracted by the hype.
“I haven’t tried to focus too much on that, just been trying to focus on every week, and trying to do my job for the team,” Cotter.
“I know if I can do that every week to the best of my ability, I know I’m a chance.
“We just have to keep working together, and everyone focus on their jobs. It would mean everything, it’s one of my goals this year. I hope I’m there come Game I.
“I try not to focus too much on the outside noise, I focus on my job each week; what I can and can’t do. At the end of the day, that’s important. It’s nice to hear those things.”
Cotter made 40 tackles and ran for 113m, according to Fox Sports Lab, in Saturday’s come-from-behind 36-16 win against the Knights at Queensland Country Bank Stadium.
It was the fourth straight win for the Cowboys, the first time North Queensland have won four consecutive games since 2017, and has the club sitting third on the NRL ladder.
It’s changed the vibe at Townsville, with a groundswell of support being felt among the on- and off-field staff.
Cotter said it was simply the result of hard work.
“I feel like we’ve been working hard during the week, our training sessions have been pretty intense,” Cotter said.
“We’ve all been ripping into training so I think those results are building throughout the week, and we’re earning them on the weekend.”
The Cowboys will face Wests Tigers in the last game of Magic Round at Suncorp Stadium on Sunday night.