North Queensland begin preseason training with the goal of destroying all memory of last season
North Queensland coach Paul Green wants to erase all memory of the Cowboys’ 13th-placed finish. And his players found out the hard way as they kicked off preseason training in Townsville.
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We are not finishing 13th again.
That was the message from Cowboys coach Paul Green as the bigger names of North Queensland’s squad returned for a gruelling training session in the Townsville heat on Monday.
The first group of players hit the paddock last week to kick off pre-season and they were joined by the likes of Michael Morgan, Gavin Cooper and Ben Barba.
They pushed through the early morning heat while Green barked orders from the sideline, bringing plenty of early intensity as they look to fight back from a disappointing 2018 season.
Veteran forward Cooper joked that Green liked to up the ante when the TV cameras were around, but said the coach did deliver a serious message.
“He’s made a couple of remarks already saying that we’re not finishing 13th again,” Cooper said of Green.
“We will be taking it up a notch (next year).
“There’s a lot of hard work to be done. You realise out here when you’re doing the hard work that if you make mistakes like in a game, whether you drop the ball or give away a silly penalty, you have to defend another set.
“That’s the mindset the coaches take too.”
However, the worst is yet to come for the Cowboys, with several of the young guns who arrived back last week warning Cooper and Barba that Tuesday and Wednesday will be harder.
It’s understood the playing group will hit the field again [Tuesday] afternoon and Barba said he expected a higher level of intensity.
“It was just an ease back in session,” Barba said of Monday’s run.
“I’m trying to prepare myself for (this). I’ve heard from the other boys that it’s the big day and all the tough stuff comes out. It’s good to ease my way into it.
“A bit of hard work never hurt anyone.”
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Originally published as North Queensland begin preseason training with the goal of destroying all memory of last season
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