COWBOYS AIMING FOR PRIDE TO BE RESTORED

COWBOYS leader Jordan Mclean has demanded his teammates step up to the mark to snap a 10-game losing streak against the Dragons in Rockhampton.

The return of Jason Taumalolo will be a welcome relief for the Cowboys who have lacked go forward over the past fortnight without their fearless leader.

But his deputy remained adamant the Cowboys were not a one-man band, and any notion that Taumalolo coming in would provide an immediate fix was misplaced.

The Cowboys have not lacked effort on the field, but their execution has been poor.

Their attack has spluttered and faltered in recent weeks while their defence has been near paper thin on the edges.

“(We are playing for) self-pride at the moment really,” Mclean said.

“The last 11 or so weeks we have not been good enough, so it would be nice to get a win this week.

“I think there is multiple things there, but to start with, we are not playing well on the weekends and that is where it finishes.

“It is our job to go out there and play as a team, in patches we have but we are just not quite there.

“We have always trained well. It has been a mental thing coming into the weekend.

“Our training has not been a problem there at all, as a team mentally, we need to be better on the weekends. It is always great to have Jase back, but the onus is on us not to feel like it is his total job to do it for the team.

“At the end of the day there is another 12 players alongside him out there on the weekend. It is great to have him back, but I don’t want to put pressure on him to have to do something special.”

Coach Todd Payten has used the final few weeks of the season to blood the next generation of first graders.

Heilum Luki’s physicality, Jeremiah Nanai’s silky handling and Griffin Neame’s tenacity through the middle have all been bright spots in an otherwise dark period. The talented trio represent the future of the North Queensland pack, and now have two games to prove they are ready for the long term from 2022.

Mclean knows the confidence a win can give a young player, and if the Cowboys can finish the season by beating the Dragons on Saturday and the Sea Eagles the following weekend, it will give them a head start for the off-season.

Luki, 20, has played nine games this season including the past three straight in the starting side.

The young forward is slowly building himself up to become an 80-minute player, but said there was plenty he wanted to work on before he could cement a spot in Payten’s starting 13.

“I still feel like I am trying to cement (my spot), I still have a lot of work to do. I need to fix up a few areas of my game including my defensive movements,” Luki said.

“(I think I am) maturing as a player, being patient on the field and letting things fall into place.

“Jeremiah is a good player, he has been playing a lot of good footy, especially in cup. It is pretty competitive (for spots).”

The Cowboys will take on St. Geo r g e - I l l a w a r r a today from 3pm in Rockhampton.