North Queensland coach Paul Green to stand down Cowboys players for City-Country

COWBOYS coach Paul Green has added to the City-Country controversy by declaring he’ll join Des Hasler and Ricky Stuart in standing his players down.

Green has hit out at the NRL’s scheduling. (AAP Image/Michael Chambers)

IF it’s good enough for Canterbury and Canberra, it’s good enough for the Cowboys.

Premiership-winning North Queensland coach Paul Green has delivered a final hammer blow to the week-long City-Country controversy by declaring he’ll join Des Hasler and Ricky Stuart in standing his players down for the match.

Launching a withering defence of the polarising stance, Green has also lambasted the NRL’s disregard for club’s during the entire representative period of the season.

KENT: Dogs not to blame for drama

LEAGUE CENTRAL PODCAST: David Riccio and Michael Carayannis join Fiona Bollen to discuss Josh Reynolds’ big bucks move, his true value and how Dogs fans will react.

WELFARE: Stuart won’t let Raiders be ‘used up’

“I do support Des and this isn’t just about City-Country,’’ Green said.

“I think right across the board, club teams get put on the back burner too much for rep footy teams. Overall, I think it devalues the NRL competition.

“We’re not allowing club’s to prepare as well as they can. I’ve played State of Origin and I loved playing State of Origin, I get what it’s all about. But if you take a step back and look at it from a business point of view, it makes absolutely no sense.

“How can you let your best 34 players go and play in another game when the club’s are holding all the risk? The club’s are paying all the wages of your top line players.

“You can virtually garauntee that if you get a season-ending injury in any of the rep games to one of those better players, your chances of winning the comp or competing in the finals is severely diminished.

“And what’s the benefit for the club?

“I understand the benefit for the game and the individual honours of the player, but if you’re looking at the NRL club games as a business, it makes no sense.’’

Green has hit out at the NRL’s scheduling. (AAP Image/Michael Chambers)

As first revealed in The Daily Telegraph last Tuesday, Canterbury’s four-day turnaround from the City-Country clash to be held in Mudgee next Sunday to their round 10 match-up with the Cowboys on Thursday May 11 has prompted Hasler to deem his players illegible for selection.

Canberra’s Stuart has since followed-suit, saying he won’t be letting his players be “used up in an exhibition match mockery.’’

Eligible for Country, North Queensland’s Kane Linnett and Shaun Fensom and City Origin possibles John Asiata and Blake Leary, will all be ruled out of contention, according to Green, when both City coach Brad Fittler and Country Origin coach Craig Fitzgibbon name their squads Monday.

“We’re playing the Bulldogs, so if he’s (Hasler) doing it, I’ve got every right for me to want to have the best preparation possible also,’’ Green said.

“Is it a genuine trial for State of Origin? If a player plays good in that game, does it garauntee he’s going to play State of Origin?

“Not at all, so what’s the point of it? We’ve got to ready for a game.

“If they play City-Country on Sunday, they’re (Cowboys players) not back (to Townsville) for us until late Monday. They’ll need to rest and recover Tuesday, we then fly on the Wednesday down for a Thursday night game.

“There’s a lot of negative commentary about a five-day turnaround and that’s (Canterbury v North Queensland) a four-day turnaround.

“Where’s the player welfare in that?’’