Return of Coen Hess crucial as Cowboys aim up in the middle against Manly pack
A crucial cog in the Cowboys middle has been cleared for contact as they aim to avoid being rolled again by monstrous Manly pack.
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COWBOYS coach Todd Payten is adamant his troops must fight fire with fire against Manly’s big men.
The Cowboys have gone for size in their starting pack, with Jordan McLean, Coen Hess and Jason Taumalolo spearheading their assault.
While Mitch Dunn is waiting in the wings to add a ball playing dimension to the middle of the field and free up the Cowboys spine, Payten said it was imperative they “bang down the door” and blunt the Manly forwards before aiming to be fancy with the ball.
Hess’ return from a bicep strain, which was confirmed after the Cowboys Captain’s Run on Friday, is a massive boost in that battle with Payten adamant the fringe Origin forward has been his most consistent this season.
“He is a big in for us. He has been our most consistent forward over the course of the season,” Payten said.
“I think the way that he moves defensively and gets off the line and puts pressure on the opposition has been a real asset for us and he has been strong when he carries the ball.
“I have spoken to the guys around him and I have spoken to Coen himself about talking to the guy next to him and taking him with him. I think he puts a lot of pressure on the opposition kickers, they know when he is coming for them and it is a good part of his game.
“We are playing a big pack who manhandled us last time down (at 4 Pines Park) in Brooky. We will fight fire with fire with our biggest bodies in the middle of the park.
“A big focus for us has been on winning our tackles this week, which starts in the middle of the park. We got rolled in that department last match.”
One of those bigger bodies ready to spark an assault on the Sea Eagles will be rookie forward Griffin Neame.
The 20-year-old firebrand who broke into the Cowboys squad last month has been included on Payten’s bench and will play a key role in the forwards rotation.
Neame played 35 minutes across two stints against the Dragons last week, charging into tiring forwards just before halftime before providing a late flurry at the back end of the game.
The hardworking Kiwi said he was determined to keep taking his opportunities in the top grade, as he aims to cement his spot in the Cowboys pack for next season.
“They have got a couple of big boys, we need to get up quick and get in their faces,” Neame said. “Take the pressure off. We need to get up and hit them hard, big boys fall down easy.
“As soon as I get on I have to bring heaps of energy, just go forward and move off the line. Get the good ball for the backs. Relay what the big boys have done at the start of the game.
“Just go out there and try and play the best I can. Do my job and hopefully get a win with the boys.”
MONKEY SHAKEN OFF AS DEARDEN WARMS TO TASK
COWBOYS young gun Tom Dearden finally threw the monkey off the back.
But not content with just throwing it off the back, he stomped it into the Browne Park turf at Rockhampton with an individual performance that ranks up there with the best at the club in the past four years.
It’s a weight lifted from the shoulders of the young halfback, who has been buried under a pile of expectation since he was thrown into the NRL deep end at the Broncos as an 18-year-old ballplayer.
The losing streak as a starting halfback had stretched beyond 23 games between two clubs and across two seasons.
But Dearden refused to give up, with Cowboys coach Todd Payten regularly praising his intensity and commitment at training.
The 20-year-old was finally rewarded for that sacrifice, and he knew how important that break through against the Dragons was as he stares down a one-on-one duel with Maroons incumbent Daly Cherry-Evans in Townsville this weekend.
“(It was) not really an emotional release, but it felt like a bit of a weight lifted off my shoulders to get the first win (as a starting halfback) in a couple of years,” Dearden said.
“(The streak) has never played on my mind at all. Obviously my record is not very pretty and it has been a while since I had won a game. I know I was doing a lot of the things right on the field and the coaching staff were happy with how I was competing. That is what I just wanted to keep focusing on.
“I knew if I just kept at that and added a little polish to my game, the results would start to turn eventually.
“I was on the cowbell (for the team song). I hadn’t had a win in a while, so the boys got me on the cowbell. It was good to be able to sing the song, even though I didn’t really know the words. It was awesome to be part of that group and win our first game in a while.”
While an off-season battle between himself, Scott Drinkwater and Sharks premiership winner Chad Townsend looms, Dearden said his sole focus was ending a bitter season on the right note for the Cowboys faithful.
The one-on-one battle against Cherry-Evans, a fellow Mackay born halfback who has conquered the big time, will be an exciting prospect in the clash against the Sea Eagles.
For Dearden it is a chance to go up against one of his idols growing up.
But if he can replicate his performance against the Dragons, and steer the Cowboys to an unlikely win, it is also a chance for Dearden to stamp his claim on starting in the number seven jersey.
“I always have a bit of a battle against your opposite number or opposite position. Daly Cherry-Evans is someone I look up to, and aspire to achieve similar things to what he has achieved. It will be awesome to come up against him this weekend and hopefully we can get one over him,” he said.
“I think it is the last game of the season and we are up here in front of our home fans. There is a lot of motivation there to go out and put in a really good performance. If we can go out and do our job and get the result will put us in good stead leading into the pre-season.”
PAYTEN IMPRESSED BY FIGHT IN THE NORTH
NORTH Queensland has one last chance to make a statement to the rest of the competition, and give their home fans something to cheer about.
The Cowboys have endured a dismal second half of the year, but after their generation next helped snap a 10-game losing streak the confidence in the camp is high.
They will need to harness that youthful energy if they are to overcome a full-strength Sea Eagles side determined to lock down a spot in the top four ahead of finals.
The Cowboys are conversely at the other end of the NRL ladder for the fourth-straight season.
But despite the gloomy outlook of a bottom four finish, rookie NRL coach Todd Payten is adamant there is a fair bit of brightness. The main piece is the heart his side has showed.
While the season was ended for them more than a month ago, Payten is adamant his side never gave up on the training paddock. They finally reaped the reward for that work against the Dragons.
“The way we have turned up through the week and actually tried to get better (has been pleasing),” Payten said.
“We have had a difficult trot through those 10 weeks, but I thought there was only one session where we looked like a team that had lost 10 in a row.
“The guys were upbeat and were still turning up trying to get better. We have a lot of young kids and we are trying to educate them. Their attitude was great and a lot of our senior guys were good too.
“There has been a myriad of things (that have hampered us). Injuries have not helped but we made some decisions at the start of the year (where) we lost a lot of experience. Some of those decisions were ourselves and some were out of our control.
“We haven’t defended well enough for periods and then our ball control at different times (has been poor). They are the three main things that have really hurt us.”
The Cowboys have been forced into one major change for the clash against Manly at Queensland Country Bank Stadium with Reuben Cotter sidelined by a tear in his shoulder.
It is a hammer blow for the young forward who was forced off the field for most of the season after sustaining a lisfranc injury back in Round 5.
But Payten has backed the 22-year-old to throw himself into his rehabilitation and come back strong in the pre-season as he attempts to cement a spot in the middle forwards rotation.
Coen Hess will make his return from a bicep strain in the front row with Taumalolo pushing back to lock.
“I guess it is disappointing for Reubs, he has a small tear in his shoulder that will require some rest. It is fortunate that he doesn’t need surgery but the poor kids can’t string a lot of games together,” Payten said.
“I am disappointed for him, but he understands that he needs to get his rehab right.
“Coen has been one of our good performers all year, and to have him back in the team will add a different dimension to us.”
Originally published as Return of Coen Hess crucial as Cowboys aim up in the middle against Manly pack
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