North Queensland co-captain Matt Scott has called on his teammates to reproduce every week the stirring defensive form which saw them keep Brisbane scoreless, as they look to re-assert their spot in the NRL top-four.
Coming off the back of consecutive losses to Wests Tigers and Gold Coast Titans, the Cowboys were at their scrambling best in Friday night’s 12-0 win in Townsville, becoming the first side to keep the Broncos to nil in three years.
With one of the most potent attacks in the NRL, the Cowboys defence has been the major hurdle standing in the way of cementing a top-four position.
But after a defensive effort which Scott regarded as one of the best in his nine seasons with the club, he called on his teammates to bring that level of intensity on a consistent basis.
“We need to build off it,” Scott said.
“That’s the standard you have to play at in the NRL, that’s the way we need to come off the field every week with nothing left and we need to defend like that every week.”
Cowboys coach Neil Henry was most happy with his side’s resilience in defence, absorbing constant waves of attack and adapting for repeat sets.
“The scramble was good and they kept turning up for each other and we had to do that otherwise they could’ve scored a couple of tries so we were desperate as well,” he said.
“That’s the style of football you need to play against top sides and they’re certainly up there.
“There were a few bounces of the ball where it got touched and it was ‘six to go’ and we had to absorb that and get on with what we had to do next.”
The win was an important step in getting the Cowboys season back on track, after finding themselves in eighth spot on a congested NRL ladder after the two straight losses.
Henry said it was a relief to get the win and set themselves up for next week against Canberra.
“To beat the Broncos twice in one year is special anyway, but in the scheme of things, it’s just the two points we needed given we were up near the top four for a while and now we’re back in the pack,” he said.
“It makes the game against Canberra (next Saturday in Townsville) important too leading into the next Origin, another bye and a game against the Warriors.”
The next Origin match could see another Cowboys player drafted into Mal Meninga’s Queensland side, with fullback Matt Bowen proving he could be a replacement for the injured Billy Slater with a stunning attacking performance against Brisbane.
“I think he’s been thereabouts but I think (Friday’s) performance definitely wouldn’t have hurt his chances. He’s done the job before and he’s very experienced in that role,” Scott said.