NRL 2020: Darren Lockyer says Cowboys must stick with Green
The calls are growing ever stronger that it’s time for the Cowboys to part ways with premiership coach Paul Green, but they would be making a huge mistake if they did, writes Darren Lockyer.
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There has been growing discussion around Paul Green‘s future at the Cowboys but I believe North Queensland would be making the wrong call if they parted ways with their only premiership coach.
Their away game against the Panthers on Sunday is huge in the context of their season and Green faces Penrith acutely aware his side has the worst defensive record in the league.
The Cowboys have leaked 253 points in nine matches. That‘s 28 points conceded per game. Contrast this to the premiership year of 2015, when the Cowboys leaked just 18 points per game as Green broke the club’s 20-year title drought.
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Green has been around long enough to know there will discussion around his position because of the Cowboys‘ current 12th placing, compounded by bottom-four finishes in the past two years.
But I truly believe he is the coach capable of turning the Cowboys around. I see signs of rejuvenation with the young players they are bringing through and Green is starting to implement change with a fresh crop of rookies that can be 10-year Cowboys.
Young guns like Peter Hola, Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow, Tom Gilbert and this week‘s 19-year-old debutant Daejarn Asi.
But there is a fine balance between rebuilding a roster and managing the transition of older players to a younger group.
For any coach who has been at a club a long time, it‘s critical they make the environment a happy, healthy one.
Wayne Bennett coached at the Broncos for 20 years and the one thing he always did well was maintain the energy and trust of the group.
Wayne connected with, and cared about, his players. He never lost dressing rooms.
Green has not lost the ability to coach. The Cowboys‘ major issue is the hit to their leadership core.
People talk about the loss of Johnathan Thurston but don’t underestimate the retirement of Matt Scott. He was the spiritual leader of North Queensland’s pack and he injected a hard edge that drove the entire performance standards of the club.
As a squad, you get consistency through your leadership on the field and the lack of that seniority explains why the Cowboys, Broncos and the Titans have struggled to bridge fluctuations in performance this season.
Michael Morgan was a natural successor to Thurston, but he is currently sidelined following shoulder surgery, adding to his horror run with injury since his magical 2017 grand-final campaign.
The Cowboys are not only missing Morgan‘s ability, but his experience. Where is the leader in their backline to give the team the direction they need?
Scott Drinkwater and Jake Clifford are promising young players but they have both played fewer than 30 games each. They are not experienced enough to steady the ship when the Cowboys need a calming voice on the field.
For younger players, the key to keeping confidence where it needs to be is ensuring a side‘s defensive systems are strong, which is reflective of the attitude at a club.
Teams can be under the pump on the ladder because of injuries and suspensions, so as a coach the temptation can be to over-coach and over-think situations.
But in my view, for the Cowboys, Green is better off simplifying everything and turning his focus to getting their defence right and getting some trust in their defensive lines.
Green and the Cowboys can glean some lessons from how the leading teams are handling arguably the most challenging season in rugby league‘s 112-year history.
This coronavirus-affected season has thrown up some major mental variables. The key is how clubs and individuals adapt to the situations and challenges applied to them.
To win this premiership, clubs will have to adapt to the COVID environment and that will come down to their coach and the leadership group.
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I believe this unique landscape plays into the hands of a great club like the Melbourne Storm.
There is a view the Roosters are too good and will pull off a hat-trick of titles, but I question whether they will have the desire, especially without Cooper Cronk, who was such a great playmaker under the pressure.
The Roosters will be in the top four and while Canberra had a great win over the premiers on Thursday night, losing Josh Hodgson will be a massive blow come finals time.
The 2020 premiership will be won by the mentally toughest team to manage the COVID pressures and, for me, the top two in that department are the Storm and Parramatta.
I believe the Craig Bellamy-Cameron Smith alliance will drive a mental toughness to take the Storm all the way.
Originally published as NRL 2020: Darren Lockyer says Cowboys must stick with Green