Roosters captain Boyd Cordner narrows his focus to one game
Boyd Cordner has won grand finals before, which is why he understands how hard they are to win. And the Roosters skipper wants to go next level on Sunday afternoon.
NRL
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Boyd Cordner knows what it means to captain back-to-back State of Origin series wins.
And there’s a small handful of skippers from decades past to have led their teams to consecutive NRL titles.
But both at once?
There isn’t a soul in rugby league history who understands that feeling. That may change on Sunday.
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Beat Canberra at ANZ Stadium and Cordner will become the first skipper in history to claim the Origin-premiership double in successive seasons.
Such a feat would be some measure of a man known more for his enduring on-field presence than razzle-dazzle moments.
Who, at 27, has already captained his club, state and country and has a way of compelling others follow.
To captain winning club and Origin sides — as Cordner did with the Roosters and NSW in 2018 — is a skill in itself.
To repeat that outrageous success the very next year is another matter altogether.
Only Cameron Smith has captained Origin and grand final wins in the same season twice, and even he endured a five-year gap between his 2012 and 2017 doubles.
LISTEN! In the season finale, Matty Johns is joined by James Hooper and Paul Kent to go over this Sunday’s grand final, plus how the build-up to the NRL’s biggest weekend can weigh on the favoured team (and how the Roosters are counteracting it).
For Cordner, past near-misses — most notably with the Roosters in 2014 — have helped him hone the art of backing up.
“I think in the past, in finals series, we’ve been caught with looking too far ahead, which has hurt us,” Cordner said.
“Especially last two years, we’ve narrowed our focus right down.
“In 2013, the side we had, we were a pretty young team. We knew that feeling, and we knew we had a really good side.
“I think some of us, to win that first grand final, we thought maybe it’s just going to happen again.
“But it’s not the case — It’s so much harder. After them couple of years after ‘13, I really appreciated how hard it was to go and win a competition, and 2018 was amazing just because of that feeling.
“But having that experience now definitely helps to go, ‘righto, it’s hard work and it’s not easy to get to a grand final let alone win one’.”
Is there a risk the Chooks have already played their 2019 grand final against Melbourne?
“I don’t think so — it’s a grand final” Cordner said.
“You shouldn’t be playing football if you can’t get up for Sunday’s game.
“Obviously the talk with winning last year and having that same motivation for myself, it’s even more.
“You have that feeling … we want to make the most of every opportunity we’ve got.”
Cordner has been the Roosters’ go-to man most of this season, given co-captain Jake Friend’s injury issues.
But he was confident the hooker would be ready to go, just like he himself was back in 2013, when the then 21-year-old forward rushed back for the grand final after a near-two-month lay-off with an ankle injury.
“Friendy’s so mentally headstrong, so he won’t need anything, my advice,” Cordner said.
“He’s ready to go, I’m pretty sure. He was touch and go last week. I know definitely what it feels like.
“He’s had a longer stint out than what I had, but he’s our captain. He’s our leader. He’s got that experience there.
“With him coming back into the side, us as a playing group will have no dramas lined up alongside him.”