North Queensland Cowboys recruit Justin O’Neill faces axe after NRL shocker

COWBOYS recruit Justin O’Neill has appealed for coach Paul Green not to axe him after his much-awaited club debut turned into a nightmare.

NRL Round 1 match between the North Queensland Cowboys and the Sydney Roosters at 1300Smiles Stadium, Townsville, Queensland. Cowboys' Justin O'Neill. Picture: Wesley Monts

COWBOYS recruit Justin O’Neill has appealed for coach Paul Green not to axe him after his much-awaited club debut turned into a nightmare in Townsville.

An off-season purchase from Melbourne, O’Neill was a reluctant poster boy for North Queensland’s 28-4 drubbing by the red-hot Roosters on Saturday night.

Since his summer move from Storm, the 23-year-old has been one of the Cowboys’ most impressive performers, deservedly clinching a starting spot after a slick pre-season.

But the fleet-footed winger imploded in the season opener, making four errors - more than any player on the field - in the Cowboys’ five-tries-to-one hammering.

Justin O'Neill made four errors on Saturday.

O’Neill dropped two high balls and came off his wing to leak a Roosters try ... all in the space of 24 minutes. And while he managed to score North Queensland’s only try in the 70th minute, it was little comfort for man who prides himself on mistake-free football after winning a title at Melbourne.

With Kyle Feldt and Tautau Moga applying pressure, O’Neill can only hope coach Green retains him for the Cowboys’ home clash against Newcastle this Saturday night.

“It was definitely a disappointing debut for myself,” O’Neill said.

“I’m not too sure (if he will be dumped), I’ll leave that with ‘Greeny’.

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“I will work on my game from the video and prepare the best I can this week. We’ll see which team Greeny puts out during the week.

“In his eyes he wants to put the best team on the paddock each week. If that means interchanging players, then I suppose that will happen, because there’s a lot of outside backs fighting for spots.”

Green will watch video of Feldt and Moga’s performances in the Intrust Super Cup to determine whether one deserves to be promoted at O’Neill’s expense.

“It’s not the debut Justin would have liked,” the coach conceded. “But he is a quality player ... it just wasn’t his night.”

O’Neill, who was 18th man for Queensland in the 2013 Origin series, said his maiden try for the Cowboys barely atoned for his first-half horror show.

“I’ll put my hand up and say I cost the team a few sets on the tryline with a lack of concentration,” he said.

“It was good to get on the scoreboard but it (his try) was overshadowed - it was hard to get excited by that.

“Both dropped balls were poor decisions, even with the try they scored (down his flank), it was a lapse in concentration.

“In the back of my head, I had it in my head that Anthony Tupou (Roosters rival) was there and I wanted to get up high for that first catch.

“I have been in the game long enough to know I need to be better than that to compete at NRL level.

“You don’t want to forget a performance like that. If that is my worst game, well it’s only round one and I can get a lot better from here.”

Originally published as North Queensland Cowboys recruit Justin O’Neill faces axe after NRL shocker