Jason Taumalolo ready to handle extra attention in Queensland derby blockbuster

JASON Taumalolo knows teams are trying to bash him out of matches but the Cowboys forward says it won’t stop him in North Queensland’s bumper clash with Brisbane.

JASON Taumalolo knows the onslaught is coming. Whether the Broncos are ready for the midfield fury he is about to unleash is another matter.

It is a tribute to Taumalolo’s peerless power and metre-eating mayhem that the Cowboys’ $10 million man is bracing for a Broncos assault in Thursday’s demolition derby at 1300 Smiles Stadium.

Physically and statistically, there is no forward in the code as destructive as Taumalolo — and now the 116kg hulk is paying the price for his dominance.

As his Cowboys comrades have fallen around him, chiefly front-row enforcer Matt Scott, who snapped his ACL against the Broncos in round two, Taumalolo has soldiered on so well he has become a victim of his own brilliance.

Teams have done whatever they can to slow Taumalolo down.

In recent months, Taumalolo has detected more brutal attacks from NRL opponents. Clearly, the mantra is bash Taumalolo, and you beat the Cowboys.

It has forced the Kiwi Test wrecking ball to be wiser, with Taumalolo adding more diversity to his game to ensure he is not a sitting duck for the gang warfare he will face tonight in the Queensland derby.

“Teams are attacking me in numbers,” Taumalolo said.

“They obviously see me as a target and they want to get numbers on me. But if I can find a pass or an offload, it helps take the pressure off.

“The one thing I’ve noticed ... teams have been doing game-plans on my hit-ups and targeting me.

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“I have tried to change things up and not be so predictable just running to the line.

“The last month or so I’ve passed the ball so many times more than I did in the past. I’m trying to add some variety to my game. I am trying to move the ball around if I can.”

The Broncos have 263 reasons to try and muzzle Taumalolo.

That was the number of metres he amassed last September as he sent Brisbane crashing out of the title race with a powerhouse display in the Cowboys’ epic 26-20 finals win in Townsville.

In one of the greatest forward performances in a sudden-death final, Taumalolo simply broke Brisbane’s spirit. On the night, he made more metres than Brisbane’s starting front-rowers Josh McGuire (145) and Adam Blair (95) combined.

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Throw in eight tackle-busts and 23 runs, and it is easy to see why the Broncos are on red alert, even turning to former Brisbane hitman Peter Ryan during the week to provide some defensive steel.

“He’s the best running forward in our game and playing someone like that before the finals is going to really help us young players,” Broncos prop Joe Ofahengaue said.

“It will help with controlling our nerves and coming up against quality players. It’s a good test for us.

“I watched a bit of the (Cowboys’) game the week just gone and I think Taumalolo and (Michael) Morgan are their best players right now.

“Shutting them down is going to be a challenge for us but in a good way. It’s the right way to prepare for what the finals are going to be like because it will be up-tempo and a whole new ball game.”

Taumalolo has been incredible for North Queensland this season.

Amid the Cowboys’ injury carnage, Taumalolo refuses to be beaten. Last week, in the Cowboys’ gutsy 22-14 defeat of the Tigers, he passed 4000 running metres in a season for the second consecutive year.

Since the start of 2014, he has charged for a staggering 15,566 metres. This is the fifth consecutive season in which Taumalolo has improved his weekly metre-gaining efforts.

Last year, it seemed he had reached his peak at 166m per game. Yet this season, Taumalolo has raised the bar again, averaging a phenomenal 191m per game.

The 24-year-old admits the workload has taken a toll, but the memory of his Brisbane heroics last year keeps driving him.

“That was one of my best ever games last year,” he said of his barnstorming disposal of the Broncos.

“I think it’s the mutual respect that both teams have. We are expected to put on the best football we can and that has showed the last few games. Games like last year is what the best players in the game thrive on. I love playing finals football.”

Originally published as Jason Taumalolo ready to handle extra attention in Queensland derby blockbuster