NRL Guide 2019: Cowboys need to learn to live without the King of the North in Johnathan Thurston
The King of the North has left the Cowboys and now they need to find a new monarch. After a tough 2018, a change is exactly what Paul Green’s team needs, writes Rikki-Lee Arnold
Cowboys
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Change is coming to Townsville in 2019.
The King of the North in Johnathan Thurston has retired and for the first time in 14 years, the Cowboys will be without their trusty playmaker.
While Michael Morgan is expected to become the man thrust into the spotlight in Thurston’s absence, he is not the only one who will feel the heat around Cowboys HQ this season.
Matt Scott has only ever played one game for North Queensland when Thurston wasn’t also part of the squad – his debut match in Round 19 of 2004.
Thurston joined the Cowboys from the Bulldogs in 2005 and the rest is history.
But after last year’s shocking end – with the Cowboys crashing from pre-season favourites to a 13th place finish – the pressure is on for Paul Green’s men to turn their fortunes around in 2019.
And Scott knows that without Thurston next to him, a lot of that responsibility falls on his shoulders.
“That’s the role of the senior players and I’m probably the most senior now that Johnno’s retired,” Scott said of the job of turning around last year’s results.
“It’s a bit depressing but there’s a lot of lessons to be learnt from last year. As long as we can learn and improve on what we did then the club will be better off for it.
“We’ve been really fortunate for a lot of years to have good years, make finals, grand finals, win one, lose one ... We just got a little bit complacent.
“We lacked some attention to detail in the little areas. It’s a good learning curve for the young guys that those one or two percenters can really add up over the course of a year.
“Sometimes that’s the difference between making finals and not making finals.
“I love the look of the squad this year. We’ll have a good mindset coming off last year and a bit of new blood and enthusiasm into the team is only going to work well.”
Among the new faces in the squad include former Broncos forward Josh McGuire and centre Tom Opacic, as well as exciting ex-Dragons back Nene Macdonald.
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Macdonald and Opacic give plenty of depth to the Cowboys’ backline while enforcer McGuire is going to add muscle to the engine room.
He will however be direct competition for Scott, but the veteran Cowboy indicated towards the end of last year that he would be willing to move to the bench to accommodate McGuire.
For the 33-year-old, this could be his last year on the field.
With his longtime co-captain Thurston gone, Scott – who is off-contract at the end of this season — knows his time is also coming to an end.
But he won’t be looking for any fancy or prolonged farewells, with the former Queensland and Australian prop keeping his cards close to his chest.
Last year was a challenging one for Scott as he returned from an ACL injury only to be plagued with neck problems.
He said retirement did cross his mind at times but after a successful surgery he is confident he has enough in him for at least one more season.
“I’m very happy with what I’ve been able to achieve in my career,” Scott said.
“To play as long as I’ve been able to play, considering some of the surgeries I’ve been through, and to have the career I’ve had, I’m very, very lucky and fortunate.
“If I had to retire right now, I’d retire very content with what I’ve been able to achieve. But as long as I can, I want to continue to play.
“As long as it’s not affecting my life off the field, I’d love to keep playing. I have a year left on my contract so I would love to be able to see that out strongly.”
KEY MAN
MICHAEL MORGAN
Morgan will return from an injury-riddled 2018 to become the lead playmaker for the Cowboys. He has already been crowned the new “King of the North” following Johnathan Thurston’s retirement and will be tasked with a lot of responsibility in 2019.
THE HEAT IS ON
THE FORWARDS
The arrival of Josh McGuire was a shock but it shows the Cowboys want more muscle in their pack. The question is how they will use him in a side that already has Jason Taumalolo, Matt Scott, Jordan McLean and John Asiata in the middle. They have one of the best packs in the competition and need to deliver.
ROOKIE TO WATCH
MURRAY TAULAGI
The young back is widely-tipped to make his NRL debut this year, with coaching staff and players alike predicting a lot of excitement from the Brisbane State High product. Aged just 19, Taulagi was impressive for the Northern Pride in 2018 and has shown he has the maturity and talent to go to the next level.
THE CLIPBOARD
PAUL GREEN
The pressure is on for Green as much as it is for his playing group. Last year’s results were disappointing and there is no excuse as to why the Cowboys should not finish within the top eight this year. Green signed a new deal last year and the expectations are high.
STATE OF PLAY
Captain: TBA
Coach: Paul Green
Gains: Josh McGuire, Tom Opacic (Broncos), Nene Macdonald (Dragons), Kurt Baptiste (Roosters), Dan Russell (Souths Logan Magpies).
Losses: Johnathan Thurston, Antonio Winterstein (retired), Josh Chudleigh, Sam Hoare, Shaun Hudson, Kyle Laybutt (released), Shaun Fensom (Broncos), Lachlan Coote (St Helens), Kane Linnett (Hull KR).
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