Cowboys star Matt Scott braving debilitating neck injury for NRL grand final dream

COWBOYS prop Matt Scott is defying an ongoing neck injury as he attempts to help drive North Queenslan to a maiden title.

The private pain of Matt Scott

THE Cowboys will call in a neck specialist to assess Matt Scott as the inspirational prop puts aside pain to chase the grand final dream that has eluded him for a decade.

The injury scares suffered last week by Cowboys Michael Morgan (ankle) and James Tamou (neck) have diverted attention from Scott’s agonising daily battle.

Scott is almost certain to have surgery after the season but the challenge for Cowboys medical staff is ensuring he does not break down with a title on the horizon.

Scott is battling degenerative discs in his back and neck and the neck injury has reached a point where the Cowboys will summon experts to safeguard his welfare for the finals.

The prop is experiencing similar nerve trauma to that of teammate James Tamou, the Australian Test enforcer who had bone shaved from his neck area last year to ease the shooting pains that were threatening his career.

Scott is considered a crucial cog in the Cowboys title charge.

Cowboys high-performance chief Paul Bowman said the club was doing everything possible to manage Scott, who faces a bruising clash with Melbourne’s Jesse Bromwich on Saturday night.

“It’s getting gradually worse,” Bowman said. “We’re getting to the stage where we need some expert doctors to look at his neck. We’ll try and get him through and assess him post-season.

“He’s got a similar problem to what Jimmy Tamou had, so surgery is looking likely.

“We’ll cross that bridge (surgery) at the end of the year, but it’s been ongoing with Matt for a few years now.’’

Scott’s motivation to play through the pain barrier is personal. While co-skipper Johnathan Thurston featured in the only North Queensland’s only previous grand final in 2005, Scott was agonisingly overlooked.

In his second season of NRL at the time, the 20-year-old was 18th man in the decider as Wests Tigers shattered the Cowboys’ premiership dream.

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For all his Origin and Test successes, Scott has never played in an NRL grand final and it hurts like the pain in his neck and back.

“It would mean everything for me get to a grand final,” he said.

“I was 18th man for that grand final, so while I got to experience it, I didn’t get to play in it.

“That has made me pretty hungry to play in a grand final. It’s been 10 years since I got a sniff and that just shows how hard it is in this competition to get back there.

“I’m managing the body the best way I can. I remember the buzz in 2005 and I don’t want to miss that again. I want to be part of the team that brings a premiership to this club.’’

Cowboys coach Paul Green is adamant Scott’s body can survive in the finals.

“It’s nothing new for him, he’ll be right,” he said. “We’ll look more closely at surgery at the end of the year, but we will manage him right.’’