Cowboys forward Tom Gilbert determined to overcome “kick in the guts”
It was a “kick in the guts” but this Cowboys young gun has refused to back down after copping a devastating late injury.
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COWBOYS breakout forward Tom Gilbert said a late injury in the pre-season has been a “kick in the guts” but declared he will not let it hold him back.
Gilbert, who made 12 appearances in his debut season last year, was on track to cement himself in Todd Payten’s regular 17.
The teenage firebrand also had his sights set on a potential starting berth in the middle of the field, before an innocuous tackle brought it crashing down on the eve of the season.
During an opposed session against feeder club Townsville Blackhawks, a player landed on Gilbert’s leg during a tackle breaking his fibula.
Gilbert has been staunch in his approach to his rehabilitation under physiotherapist Steve Sartori and strength and conditioning coach Ash Graham, and after returning to running earlier this week he declared he will be back on the field in time for the Cowboys Round 4 clash against the Sharks.
“It is definitely a kick in the guts. I am not going to lie, it has definitely slowed me down,” Gilbert said.
“It has hindered my chances of really getting into the side. In those early rounds I am hoping the boys put in some good performances and make my chance to come back difficult.
“But that is a role we play as a team and a squad. These things happen, and in all honesty I am glad it happened to me compared to other boys, because I back my recovery and I back my ability to get back on field and not let it hold me back.
“It wasn’t something I was expecting, you don’t expect an injury at all, but at that time of year when I thought I have had one of the best pre-seasons I have had and I was ready to go, and fighting for spots was crucial at that time. It is footy though.
“I am resilient enough to take it. Not taking anything away from other boys, but I know I can take it. I have had injuries in the past, and if I miss two or three games it is not going to be a problem.”
The young middle forward exploded onto the NRL scene after a dominant rookie season with the Townsville Blackhawks in the 2019 Queensland Cup where he won the competiton’s Lock of the Year award.
He was upgraded to the Cowboys main roster the following season, and it wasn’t long before former coach Paul Green blooded him into the top grade. After a year of switching between the middle and time as an edge forward, new coach Todd Payten has given him clarity on his role this pre-season.
“He had me in the middle and it was good to have no chopping and changing. It gave me time to knuckle down and focus on the middle,” Gilbert said.
“We have some great forward leaders at the club I can learn off, and I am really lucky I have Jase (Taumalolo) and Josh (McGuire) there to help me as a player to develop on and off the field. To be able to be cemented in there the whole pre-season to learn off them I am extremely lucky.
“Toddy being an ex-forward as well, playing in the middle, and (assistant coach) Dean Young, it has been a good learning experience for myself.”
He has had a fight on his hands to match it with the Cowboys senior forwards in the middle of the park, but with Payten refusing to split training sessions into a top team and the rest, Gilbert said it had ignited a fire in his during the pre-season.
“Not knowing anything it kept me driving, it kept me pushing. That uncertainty kept a lot of motivation in the squad for a long a gruelling pre-season,” he said.
“I think it was a good idea and a good move by Toddy. It kept it really competitive and I think even up to Friday it will remain competitive.”
“I can be better”: Taumalolo’s declares leadership intent
JASON Taumalolo grew up under two of the strongest leaders the NRL has seen in Johnathan Thurston and Matt Scott.
While he took plenty of lessons off the two legends over the past decade, the lock forward has declared he is bringing his own style to the Cowboys captaincy, a role he will share with Michael Morgan in 2021.
It will be a mix of high work rate and high fun which Taumalolo believes will galvanise a Cowboys playing group desperate to turn around three poor seasons.
In a candid interview, the Tongan took responsibility for the club’s poor results — finishing 13th, 14th and 14th since their 2017 grand final appearance — and suggested it is up to him to take a more team approach to his own game after coach Todd Payten made him a co-captain.
There is a larrikin streak in the 117kg wrecking ball, one which he said won’t completely go away now he is captain but it might be turned down a notch.
“I would like to think if I am leading by example for these guys, then maybe we can be better as a team. We have struggled in the past three years with the way we have been playing,” Taumalolo said.
“Maybe if I can be a better teammate, help out a lot more, then maybe it will go a long way to changing the way we play and how the boys are connected. I would like to think I have grown up a little bit but we will see how we go.
“I had a bit of a moment to myself (after being elected co-captain) where I knew I had to change the way I behaved, especially at training around being a bit of a larrikin. I have toned that down a bit.
“I do find moments where it is a bit hard not to be a kid at training, I am having fun and the boys are having fun. It is about finding the right time to know when to work and when to have fun. If we are doing both, I would say I am doing my job.”
Taumalolo has never been afraid to lead by example on the field, consistently putting the Cowboys on his back and charging through the heart of opposition defences.
He has never shirked the tough work in the middle of the field, topping the club for metres gained, tackle breaks and post-contact metres.
But that does not mean he will go it alone in his captaincy.
Taumalolo admitted he would turn to the club’s senior playing group which included Morgan, Josh McGuire and Jordan McLean for guidance when he needed it.
One man who is not surprised to see Taumalolo handed the captaincy is former teammate and Wests Tigers skipper James Tamou.
Tamou was at the Cowboys when a fresh-faced 17-year-old Taumalolo made his debut for the club. The pair went on to win a premiership together in 2015, and the NRL veteran said leadership had always been etched in the Tongan’s future.
“Off the field I know that everyone looks up to him and he will lead the way, we know what he plays like. He has captaincy material in droves,” Tamou said.
“On the field he will produce and he has that aura about him. He has the humility about him. He doesn’t have to say much, he just goes to work.
“I remember when he was a young fella, and now he is about to play his 200th game. That goes to show how quick that time goes. We all knew this guy was something special and he has shown that throughout the NRL. He has a long way to go to make his mark on this game.”
Originally published as Cowboys forward Tom Gilbert determined to overcome “kick in the guts”
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