Why North Queensland need Matt Scott to be better than ever in 2017

FIND out why the Cowboys will need Matt Scott to lead from the front in 2017 more than they ever have before.

The North Queensland Cowboys v Manly Sea Eagles from 1300 Smiles Stadium, Townsville. Cowboys Matt Scott. Picture: Zak Simmonds

AT 31 and entering his 14th season in the NRL you can expect Matt Scott to keep doing the things he’s always done.

He’ll make the metres, he’ll bend the line, he’ll make his tackles, he will do his job.

He doesn’t have the hands of James Graham or the footwork of Jesse Bromwich, the athleticism of Andrew Fifita or the sheer power of Shannon Boyd, but he doesn’t need any of that.

Like he was carved out of stone, Scott just absorbs the pressure and continues.

Despite a litany of injuries that should be slowing him down after a decade in the engine room, Scott has played 20 or more matches in seven of the last eight seasons.

Since his return to the Queensland Origin side in Game III of 2009 he’s played in 20 of 21 games and apart from the 2014 Four Nations he’s never missed an international tournament.

Scott’s durability and consistency have been two of his greatest attributes but can the old warhorse deal with the enhanced workload to come his way in 2017?

Scott has been one of the best forwards in the world for some time.

Regardless of his future beyond this season, the Cowboys are about to rely on Scott more than they ever have before.

Jason Taumalolo, the best running forward in the world and possibly inspired by a creature from Greek mythology, will again be the talisman of the pack but the departure of James Tamou and Ben Hannant reduces North Queensland’s depth in the middle considerably.

Taumalolo brought the pain in every match last season and was incredibly dominant. He passed the 100 metres gained barrier in 25 of his 27 matches and broke 200 metres six times. In the epic finals victory over Brisbane he ran for an impossible 263 metres from 23 carries.

He is a true marvel, but expecting him to pick up the slack from Tamou’s departure isn’t just unrealistic, its downright unreasonable.

That’s asking him to not only replicate the greatest season by a running forward in over a quarter of a century, but to do even more.

Tamou was never the most consistent of forwards but he had the athletic ability to really trouble the defence.

The grinding Hannant was not the Origin and Test player of years past but he was still a capable and important part of the Cowboys forward rotation and was always able to hold up his end while giving Scott, Tamou and Taumalolo some time on the sidelines.

Taumalolo was the best forward in the world last year.

Options are thin on the ground regarding the replacements for Tamou and Hannant. Scott Bolton is as solid and dependable as ever — he’s averaged 96 metres gained per game in each of the last three seasons — but the lift in workload may be too much for him at this stage of his career. John Asiata, Ben Spina, Patrick Kaufusi and Sam Hoare are the other forwards with first grade experience — Asiata is the best of them at the moment and is a player of some promise, but none of them have serious runs on the board. Braden Uele is a Junior Kiwi representative of some ability but is yet to make his NRL debut.

Scott himself has still been a quality operator in the last few seasons but he has slowed down a little. Take a look at his metres gained per match over the last five seasons.

2012: 146

2013: 146

2014: 160 (a career high)

2015: 124

2016: 118

Last season also saw Scott’s average minutes drop to 46 per game (down from 52 in 2015 and a career high 57 in 2014) while his average carries per match (11.7) was his lowest total since 2008 and a significant drop from the career-high 16.4 he accumulate in 2014.

These numbers tell us two things. Matt Scott was really good in 2014 and his workload is slowly decreasing, which is to be expected of a player reaching this point of his career.

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This isn’t a criticism of Scott by any means. Reducing his workload by having better players around him would prolong his career and make the Cowboys a more effective all-round team.

Johnathan Thurston is one of the greatest players of any era, but there’s a reason some of his best football has come in the last three seasons as he approaches his mid-30s when by all rights he should be slowing down.

Having Michael Morgan, Lachlan Coote and Jake Granville have allowed Thurston to become more effective, just as having Taumalolo, Tamou and Hannant made things easier for Scott.

If Thurston was having a quiet one, one of the other three can pick up the slack. If Taumalolo or Scott or Tamou wasn’t making their regular impact it would make things difficult but not insurmountable.

North Queensland will rely on Scott more than ever before.

Now, the margin for error is significantly smaller.

Ethan Lowe, Coen Hess and Gavin Cooper can try to lift some of the slack but the job requirements for a middle forward and an edge forward keep getting different all the time.

Do any of those three, as talented as they are at what they do, have the power, the durability, the attacking force to make a difference against the best packs in the competition?

The Cowboys will still be a contender. They have too much talent, too much experience and are too well-drilled not to be.

But they will lean heavily on Scott, more heavily than they have in years. As great as he has been and still is, it’s a lot to ask.

Originally published as Why North Queensland need Matt Scott to be better than ever in 2017