Tough-as-nails utility Ray Thompson has vowed to be ready for big matches week-to-week as the North Queensland Toyota Cowboys chase consistency.
The seventh-placed Cowboys are eyeing their seventh win of their 2017 campaign when they host the 12th-placed Titans on Saturday night, with the team having gone loss-win-loss-win-loss in their past five outings.
Thompson, 27, is in the frame to play his fifth straight game for the top-flight team as head coach Paul Green continues to manage a squad hit by injury and representative commitments.
The Townsville junior has filled in admirably for an injured Johnathan Thurston in the halves, while also providing relief at hooker at times, with regular rake Jake Granville two games back from a lengthy injury layoff.
But while he continues to impress on the field, it’s away from the spotlight that the rest of the hard work is done as Thompson manages a continuous knee complaint.
“The knee swells up after training and after games, and I get some pain,” Thompson said. “But at the moment it’s manageable.
“The start of the training week is usually pretty light, then I increase the work during those final sessions.”
The experienced playmaker said he would continue to do his job for Green and his teammates for as long as called upon, this sharp sense of duty and commitment running strongly through his 109-game National Rugby League career.
“It’s week to week, but we’ve got first-class medical staff who do a tremendous job getting me right to play each week,” he said.
“I look forward to going around with the boys on Saturday against the Titans.”
