North Queensland Toyota Cowboys head coach Paul Green wants to see a fight-for-each-other mentality from his side on Saturday as the team looks to arrest a two-game slide in their Round 8 NRL match against the Newcastle Knights at 1300SMILES Stadium.
Coming off losses to the Tigers and Dragons, the injury-hit Cowboys have put together a strong week on the training paddock in a bid to remain inside the top eight after two months of tough home-and-away footy.
While the team finished well against the Dragons – clawing back a 28-4 half-time deficit to eventually lose 28-22 – Green identified key moments where things went pear-shaped and wants to see more unity against the Knights.
“If something goes against us, it’s (improving) all about connecting and fighting hard for each other to get yourself back in the game,” Green said.
“Guys with less experience aren’t really sure how to do that and that’s where we need our older guys to really get them back on track.”
The Cowboys mentor said that after a solid week of preparation, the team was ready to put its best collective foot forward and put in a strong showing against Newcastle.
“We’ve had a good week at training, a lot of enthusiasm, and while you never like losing, I think some guys took some good lessons out of that (loss),” he said.
Saturday's game kicks off at 5.30pm.