Jason Taumalolo Cowboys won’t be complacent in defending their NRL title
JASON Taumalolo says the World Club Challenge was like a grand final triumph all over again but he insists the premiers won’t be complacent in defending their NRL title.
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JASON Taumalolo says winning the World Club Challenge was like a grand final triumph all over again.
The Cowboys enforcer was still on cloud nine on Monday following his club’s 38-4 victory over Leeds in the UK last week.
He said the feeling around the club was similar to that of when they won the grand final last October to bring home North Queensland’s first premiership.
But he was also very wary of what affect it could have on the 2015 premiers, saying too much excitement can also lead to an overdose of confidence.
“It feels like another grand final,” he told The Courier-Mail.
“Winning the World Club Challenge, bringing another piece of silverware to North Queensland, it was a bonus.
“But you can get that much confidence, get complacent and just think you’ve done it all and don’t have to prove anything else. Sometimes that happens to teams.”
While a number of Cowboys players have denied concerns of complacency among the ranks following last year’s success, Taumalolo admitted this second big win did present a different kind of challenge.
The 22-year-old said it was vital that the Cowboys work together as a team to ensure they put this latest victory behind them ahead of their Round 1 clash with Cronulla on Saturday.
“We’ll be looking to take it as an extra motivation that we want to do it again and we want to do it again this year,” he said.
“It is a big test for us, whether or not we get too comfortable and not have the same drive.
“We want everyone to be on the same page and play the best footy they can week in and week out to try and repeat what we did last year.
“That’s the biggest drive for us — trying to stay on the same page.”
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