Taumo’s brave run inspired by Scott
HE was in pain for most of the 80 minutes at 1300SMILES Stadium but according to Jason Taumalolo it was nothing compared to the pain of his mentor.
With a partially torn plantar fascia – the stretch of tissue connecting the heel to the toes – in his left foot, Taumalolo was not expected to take the field against the Panthers.
In fact, he had not run a single pace since the Queensland Derby against the Broncos a fortnight before.
But with club veteran Matt Scott on his mind, Taumalolo found a way to block out the pain. He found a way to keep going and he got through a full session in Thursday’s Captain’s Run.
At the end of it he had one thing to say to coach Paul Green: “Put me in”.
“Last week I felt a bit like I let the boys down. Injuries are a part of footy but I obviously want to help the boys out as much as I can,” he said.
“Given the situation with Matt Scott (in hospital after a mild stroke), someone like himself who has put his body on the line numerous times for the jersey. If I am hurting, he is hurting worse, and there is no excuse to not tough it out.
“Thumper is in another world playing with the injuries he has had, playing busted at his age. For someone as young as me to come up and try and put my body on the line the same way he does. It is inspirational for me looking up to someone like Thumper.”
Not only did Taumalolo play through the pain, he put in a stirring performance for the Cowboys to lead the club to an emotion-charged 24-10 win over the Panthers.
It was a win that snapped a five-game losing streak and set up an end-of-season surge.
Taumalolo put in a 63minute performance with 134 run metres from 17 carries including two line breaks, three tackle breaks and a game sealing try.
His efforts were inspiring, and the entire forward pack marched with him, including Francis Molo, who produced a stunning 123m from 13 carries in a punchy 35-minute stint off the bench.
“We knew coming into this game … it was going to be a physical battle. Big Jimmy (Tamou) leading them around the field and a few of young guys who have been dominant in helping the Panthers’ resurgence this year. They were great and we just wanted to aim up and we did,” Taumalolo said. “We held them out and contained them a bit, and stopped their guys like Nathan Cleary and James Moloney getting any room to work.”
It sets up an exciting final few weeks for the Cowboys, including a showdown with the Bulldogs on Thursday in what will be the final game at 1300SMILES Stadium.
The Bulldogs are one of the form teams of the competition at the moment, coming off a four-match win streak, and have put themselves back in the finals hunt.
But that won’t stop the Cowboys from producing another emotion-charged performance to give their fans one final reason to cheer the house down at their spiritual home.
As for the Tongan tank in the middle of the field, not even an excruciating foot injury will keep him from being at the centre of the celebrations.
“I want to see out this stadium and I will do anything I can to get back out on to the field on Thursday,” Taumalolo said.