Having survived one mini cyclone which ripped through parts of Townsville this week, North Queensland are prepared to confront Cyclone Gallen at Dairy Farmers Stadium on Saturday night.
Cronulla skipper Paul Gallen caused some damage of his own in their win against Manly on Monday with an incredible performance, carving out 249 metres – the most by any player in the round – to go with 34 tackles as his Sharks opened their 2012 account against the defending NRL premiers.
The Cowboys expect a repeat performance from the NSW Origin skipper, who played in the front-row against Manly but is likely to shift back to lock on Saturday as Cronulla look to post a rare win in Townsville.
“Gallen consistently comes in with those numbers but they’ve got plenty of other good players,” noted Cowboys assistant coach Terry Matterson.
Regardless of the number on his back, there’s little question Gallen will take some controlling up the middle.
However, the Cowboys believe they have their own destroyer in young forward giant Jason Taumalolo.
His eye-catching statistics against Parramatta last weekend of 125 metres and 18 tackles in 53 minutes off the bench gave fans a taste of what to expect from the gun 18-year-old.
“He hasn’t got Gallen’s engine and probably will never have his stamina,” conceded Matterson.
“But he’s got a bit more punch and he carries the football as good as any player I’ve ever seen.
“It’s a good start to his career. He’s a real threat off the bench if we use him properly.”
Taumalolo gave notice of his potential, scoring two tries against Cronulla last year when he was named the club’s under-20’s player of the year.
And now the Auckland-born sensation finds himself facing the same difficult career decision Brisbane’s Karmichael Hunt had several years ago – forced to choose between representing New Zealand or Queensland and Australia.
“It’s a real tough call for a young kid but he’s got a good head on is shoulders,” said Matterson.
Queensland Origin coach Mal Meninga attended the Cowboys final training session on Friday.
He’ll watch the Saturday’s game in the coach’s box with Neil Henry and run his eye over Origin fringe players Dallas Johnson, Matt Bowen and Brent Tate and take a first-hand look at Taumalolo up against Gallen.
Matterson said Cronulla were playing better than their position on the ladder suggests, and said their halves were a real threat.
