Injured Lachlan Coote feeling pressure to show Cowboys his worth as contract winds up

INJURED North Queensland fullback Lachlan Coote has appealed for the Cowboys to show faith in him as he confronts the reality of playing for his NRL future.

Coote feels he has something to prove now.

PREMIERSHIP-winning fullback Lachlan Coote has appealed for the Cowboys to show faith in him as he confronts the reality of playing for his NRL future.

Coote has been ruled out of North Queensland’s season opener against the Sharks on Friday at 1300SMILES Stadium with a hamstring injury.

He is hoping to only miss one match, however any time spent on the sidelines is not ideal given his current contract situation.

Coote, 27, is off-contract at season’s end and said the Cowboys had suspended talks to assess their squad.

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Coote feels he has something to prove now.

“They are holding off at the moment because they’re not too sure where they’re going to go with things,” he said.

“There are a lot of us coming off (contract) at the end of 2018. They have got some big decisions to make which is fair enough.

“Hopefully I can get out there and play some good footy.

“I’d love to stay at the club. It’s been an awesome club to be part of. I’d love to have a few more years here.”

Coote played an integral part in North Queensland’s historic first premiership in 2015.

After missing the entire 2014 season, his first in Townsville, with a knee injury, Coote played the perfect foil for halves Johnathan Thurston and Michael Morgan.

He played 21 matches last season as the Cowboys qualified for the grand final and is now a seasoned NRL campaigner with 158 matches for Penrith and North Queensland.

It’s the club and culture Coote loves being a part of. (Adam Head)

The Cowboys have at least 14 players off-contract this season, including Ethan Lowe, Justin O’Neill and Jake Granville.

The Cowboys last week secured Morgan for a further five years, but have historically done most of their retention throughout the season, as opposed to before it.

Coote said he hoped his previous performances for the club would count for something.

“You’d think so but you never know these days,” he said.

“You never know what’s going to happen, what’s going on or where their direction is going to be.

“They have obviously locked in a few quality players with Jase (Jason Taumalolo, 10-year deal) and Morgo signing some long-term contracts.

“You’ve always got that in the back of your mind, whether you’re going to get a contract or not.

“It would be good to be part of them for a few more years but we’ll see how it goes.”

Coote will be replaced in the No.1 jersey for the Sharks clash by utility Ben Hampton, who spent the pre-season training at fullback following Kalyn Ponga’s move to Newcastle.

Coote said he was hoping to be fit for North Queensland’s Round 2 derby clash against the Broncos at Suncorp Stadium.

“Unfortunately I won’t make Round 1 which is pretty disappointing,” he said.

“The hammy is giving me a bit of trouble. I’m trying to fight and get back for Round 2 but we’ll see how it goes.

“I strained it a bit three weeks before that trial (Storm-Cowboys) during an opposed session. It’s pretty frustrating. It’s one of those things where I can only take it a day at a time.”