The North Queensland Cowboys coach Paul Green has announced to media that his front rower and co-captain would not be selected for Sunday’s Telstra Premiership Grand final unless an injury to another player forces his hand.
Scott was initially selected in the 21-man squad to face the Roosters but an hour before kickoff, Green announced that he was using the same 17 that got the team thus far and that he will do the same for the grand final against Melbourne Storm.
Scott had not played until round 2 when he suffered an ACL injury but with an extra 8 days to recover, the thought was that Scott could be thrown in against the Storm.
However, then Cowboy’s head coach Green addressed his side last Monday morning to reassure them that barring any injuries, the 17 who earned the club a place in the decider would be given the opportunity to win the Cowboy’s their second premiership in just three years.
Rookie Call
Rookie Corey Jensen has been backed by his fellow teammates to continue filling the slot left by Scott.
The 23-year-old has been a solid and consistent performer for the Cowboys since making his debut for the side in round seven after being named Player of the Year for the Townsville Blackhawks last campaign.
There is also a minor injury concern for the Cowboys as Ethan Lowe was sporting rather a large shiner when he returned to Townsville on Sunday but Cowboys Coach Green said there was no structural damage to the eye and that he would be fit to take his place.
However, the Cowboy’s will be up against if they are to repeat their success from 2015 in which they beat the Brisbane Broncos with a 17-16 golden point win in a thrilling contest at the Sydney Olympic Stadium.
The Cowboys are currently 3/1 with betting sites like Betway to get the job done on Sunday at the ANZ Stadium in Sydney with the Melbourne Storm in at 2/7.
Head to Head
Melbourne Storm certainly comes into the game with the upper hand over their opponents with a far superior win record over the Cowboys.
Thirty-five times the two sides have met with Storm boasting 25 wins to the Cowboys 10. Equally impressive for Melbourne, is the fact that they have claimed the last five wins in a row over their final opponents, however, it is not all doom and gloom for the Cowboys as they bid to break a miserable run against Sunday’s competitors.
North Queensland won the preliminary final before capturing their first premiership in 2015 and will be aiming to target fond memories from that day against the Storm.
Emotional farewell
The grand final will also mark the final game for 33-year-old Cooper Cronk with the Storm as he faces an undecided future ahead of him.
The hooker knows that he has to decide whether to carry on playing elsewhere or retire to a media role but the grand final will be a fitting way to go out especially with the Rugby League World Cup so close on the horizon.
The World Cup in Australia, New Zealand and Papa New Guinea in December will mean this particular Premiership Grand Final carries even more weight for the players involved with everyone keen to impress before the final rosters are announced.
The pressure will be on come Sunday as history beckons for one team with Melbourne chasing their third title and North Queensland their second.
Whatever happens, it will be passionate, explosive and hard hitting with no quarter given. The only clear thing about the game is that you will not want to miss it.
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