By Nick Wright
When Coen Hess went down with a season-ending knee injury, the Cowboys were on the hunt for a big man to step up.
That missing hole was exacerbated by the debilitating knee condition of Jason Taumalolo, the club’s star forward who would go on to play the fewest minutes of his career to manage his welfare.
Enter Griffin Neame, a man so dedicated to inking his name in rugby league folklore, he was devising his own extra training sessions as a teenager.
Griffin Neame of the Cowboys scores a try.Credit: Getty
Such was his desire early in his career, there were times during his days in the Townsville Blackhawks’ pathways when no one even knew what he was doing out at Jack Manski Oval.
“He rang me late one night and I thought ‘well, this isn’t a good phone call, it’s generally not’,” Neame’s former colts coach Dave Elliott recalled.
“If no one knows you’re there, they lock the double gates. I did go and let him out, it’s obviously pretty amusing now, but he was only an 18-year-old.
“You could certainly see that in him – his work ethic – and he just happened to be a really good player as well. It’s no surprise what he’s doing right now and there are he’s still yet to scale.”
Neame’s purple patch of form has coincided with North Queensland’s surge in the past two months.
As the 23-year-old has charged for 124 metres in his past eight matches off the bench, a defeat to the Broncos has been his side’s sole blemish.
Griffin Neame crashes over for New Zealand.Credit: Getty
The Cowboys can smell blood in the water ahead of their semi-final clash with Cronulla, a side who has won just one of nine finals games since their 2016 grand final triumph.
However, what the Sharks possess a giant bench prop rotation, with Royce Hunt and Tom Hazelton’s ability to shift the ascendancy pivotal to their top four finish.
In front of a parochial Sydney crowd, this will be Neame’s greatest test.
But ahead of coaching Norths Devils in Sunday’s Queensland Cup grand final, Elliott said his former pupil had long been destined for this stage, confident a Test jumper in the Pacific Championships this year beckoned.
“He’s a young front rower who has so much potential. He’s still learning the game, but it doesn’t surprise me [the way he’s playing],” Elliott said.
“I’m sure he’ll be in the mix for a Pacific call-up this year as well. It’s all in front of Griff.”
While Cronulla halfback Nicho Hynes has worn the brunt of criticism for his side’s qualifying final defeat to Melbourne last week, his forward pack will have horror images of Neame from their last encounter with the Cowboys in July.
His 177 running metres, including five tackle busts, laid a palpable platform as North Queensland ran out 30-22 victors.
The Sharks were caught on the backfoot by a rampant Storm, and prop Toby Rudolf said he and his fellow middles needed to redeem their own failings to give the star No.7 a chance to thrive.
“I find if I give myself a whole day of just being miserable ... I’m back and ready to rip and tear again. We were down across the board, and it’s not up to our standard,” Rudolf said.
“I’ve been hearing there’s a bit of stick being given to Nicho; rugby league is very much a team sport, so I don’t understand how one man can cop flack for an entire team’s performance.
“We’re 13 people out there, and it seems like one bloke gets singled out all the time … we just want to play for him and everyone in our team and club.”
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