‘Disappointing’ Coen Hess must lift, says Matt Scott

MATT Scott has challenged young Cowboys teammate Coen Hess to rediscover his 2017 form next year.

Cowboys training from the Townsville Sports Reserve. Coen Hess. Picture: Zak Simmonds

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MATT Scott has challenged young Cowboys teammate Coen Hess to rediscover his 2017 form next year.

North Queensland have been back at pre-season training for the last three weeks as they look to put a disappointing past year behind them.

While Scott has been in the rehab group recovering from surgery on his neck, Queensland Origin forward Hess has been put through his paces with the main group from day one of pre-season, with the 22-year-old returning alongside a number of the club’s rookies.

Speaking this week after a training session in Townsville, Hess said he knew he had to become even more consistent in 2019, in what will be his fifth season in the NRL.

“That’s probably my goal going into every year is to build on the previous year and find a bit more consistency,” he said.

“The more time you have in the NRL the more consistent you’re expected to be.

“I can’t really claim to be a newbie anymore. I have a few games under my belt so I’ll be looking to build on a bit more consistency this season.”

Coen Hess needs to be more consistent. Picture: Zak Simmonds

Scott has urged Hess to turn around his 2018 form completely.

When the veteran prop was asked who at the club could prove to be a breakout star in 2019, Scott said it was actually Hess who he believed could do big things next year.

“There’s so many unknowns at the moment but I think Coen Hess, by his standards, had a disappointing year last year and he could really benefit from that experience,” Scott told The Courier-Mail.

“I don’t know whether he could break out any more than he already has but I hope to see more consistency from him and him back to his 2017 form.”

Matt Scott is recovering from neck surgery.

Scott has been a mentor for Hess over the last few seasons and has great expectations for the backrower, who is also playing for a new contract beyond 2019.

Scott said he wants to use next year to continue to help younger players such as Hess, especially as he edges closer to retirement.

“It’s part of their rugby league careers that you have setbacks whether it’s personal or as a team,” he said.

“If you don’t learn from them, you find yourself out the back door pretty quickly.”

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