The history books will show North Queensland finished runners up however that won’t detract from their sensational NRL season.
In the wake of their 34-6 grand final flogging at the hands of Melbourne on Sunday, coach Paul Green revealed much of their squad had been playing busted throughout the finals.
Green’s side will go down as one of the gutsiest in the history of the game after shrugging off the season-ending injuries of co-captains Johnathan Thurston and Matt Scott to make it to the first Sunday in October.
While the league community has marvelled at their against-the-odds charge through the finals, none outside the club were aware of just how resilient they were forced to be.
Prop Scott Bolton, who has stepped up in Scott’s absence, played through the pain of a broken sternum and had been receiving up to four painkilling injections before every game.
His front-row partner John Asiata has been playing with a broken hand and is been booked in for surgery on Wednesday.
“Some of the things that the guys have played through, has been nothing short of remarkable. If I single anyone out it probably doesn’t do anyone justice,” Green said.
“But John Asiata – broken hand, Kyle Feldt tore his groin last week. Te Maire Martin probably should have been out, he had a grade two medial.
“He probably should have been out for four to six weeks, he missed one game. Coops (skipper Gavin Cooper) here with his calf.
“Scott Bolton, who has been outstanding, has been playing busted. He’s afraid of needles too, which is surprising for a pig-hunting fisherman.”
Bolton revealed he had been playing with the pain since mid-July and had been receiving four needles in his chest since then but only required two the last two weeks.
“I was probably worse heading into the finals,” Bolton told AAP.
“I’ve been injected since (round 19) when we played against Souths in Cairns.
“It probably started getting better towards the end of the finals series.
“There are a lot of blokes in that position around this time. Especially through the finals series, and putting really good performances in, which gave us a lot of inspiration.”
Asiata said everyone’s willingness to push through the pain threshold was a sign of what the club meant to the playing group.
“It just shows how much it means to each other, to be able to be there for their mate no matter what happens on the field,” Asiata said.
“No matter what kind of injury they have, they still make that effort to be the best they can be.”