The North Queensland Cowboys are set to miss the finals for a second straight season, yet Paul Green has managed to escape the NRL coaching pressure cooker.
The focus of the Sydney-centric media on underperforming Sydney-based coaches and the Titans coaching saga throughout 2019 has allowed another season of woe for the Townsville-based club to go relatively unnoticed.
Greenโs tenure as Cowboys coach has taken a familiar path to that of Michael McGuireโs time at Souths. A finals force for a few seasons, including a drought-breaking premiership, the sideโs slipped to missing the finals in back-to-back seasons with the same core group of players because the teamโs structures and game plans have become stale.
It doesnโt mean McGuire forgot how to coach; both coach and club needed a fresh approach and fresh ideas. After McGuire was moved on, Anthony Seibold took over and completely refreshed their attacking game to take virtually the same roster from 12th in 2017 to third in 2018.
The main criticisms of Greenโs coaching are his apparent lack of innovation and inability to evolve the teamโs attacking structures from the success of 2014-17.
They currently sit second last for average points scored this season and have registered only 30 points or more three times since the start of 2018 โ they were rounds 22, 24 and 25 last season, when a player named Johnathan Thurston was racking up try assists.
In Paul Greenโs defence, itโs been a season of many distractions, with the sacking of star recruit Ben Barba just weeks before Round 1 and untimely injuries to key players throughout the season. Theyโve also been on the receiving end of some poor refereeing decisions.
But using these issues as an excuse for Green only covers up the cracks, as there are several key areas and players that have not only failed to improve but have gone backwards.
Coen Hess is the biggest concern. He burst onto the scene in 2016 with raw power, aggression and skill and was rewarded with Origin selection. But since then heโs been lacklustre. He scored 17 barnstorming tries in his first 35 games but in 19 games this season heโs crossed the try line only once.
Weโve witnessed the careers of Jake Granville and Justin OโNeill go backwards over the past couple of seasons. Ben Hampton hadnโt fulfilled his full potential before he went down injured.
Lachlan Coote and Ethan Lowe went from premiership players to also-rans who werenโt playing at NRL standard. Theyโve rediscovered their best footy since leaving the club, with Coote dominating in the UK Super League and Lowe earning an Origin debut since moving to Souths.
Reports of player unrest surfaced a few months ago, and although the senior playing group poured cold water on those rumours, Coote blasted his former coach, saying he wasnโt upfront with him in regards to his form and future at the club and railing against a lack of communication. He felt Green had lost respect for him for no reason.
If you choose to believe what Coote said about his former coach, youโd have to question Greenโs man-management skills when it comes to his players.
One could argue the plethora of young talent at North Queenslandโs disposal arenโt being developed properly.
Gideon Gela-Mosby is one of the fastest players in the NRL and should be the Cowboysโ version of the Stormโs Josh Addo-Carr. Corey Jensen was a consistent performer off the bench in his 18 games in 2018 but has been used only sparingly this season despite strong performances for the Townsville Blackhawks and selection for the Queensland Residents representative side. Mitch Dunn is a backrower with the skill set of a Wade Graham, who had limited opportunities before he was injured.
Then thereโs young Jake Clifford, a future representative half who was inexplicitly overlooked in the first few rounds after impressing in the preseason trials. He looks to be stifled by being forced to play to structure, which has limited his creative ability but when he's backed himself to dummy and run, he's found the try line.
Another area of concern has been team selections over the past two seasons. Although the Cowboys have been down on luck as far as injuries are concerned, Green has constantly picked players out of position.
For example, Coen Hess, a forward, has been selected to play centre for the past couple of weeks despite the likes of Enari Tuala, Murry Tualagi, Javid Bowen and Dan Russell all being available. There seems to be a perceived lack of faith in young players coming through the Cowboys' system and a reluctance to drop experienced players who are out of form. For much of 2018 Green persisted with picking the same team that was losing every week.
The Cowboys have copped plenty of criticism for their roster management as well. You can understand the club wanting to keep their premiership team together after 2015, but in hindsight they made several blunders and lost the likes of Kalyn Ponga, Viliame Kikau, Brandon Smith and Jahrome Hughes, to name just a few.
You might ask why a club would sack a coach who won a premiership in 2015 and made another grand final just two years ago.
In 2014, Green was fortunate to inherit a team that was already primed to win a premiership. To his credit, he added the missing ingredients to make the premiership dream become a reality for North Queensland.
But itโs the miracle run to the 2017 grand final that perhaps covered up the cracks that have led the team into freefall ever since.
Green deserves his fair share of the credit for how the Cowboys performed throughout that finals series, but when you look back to Round 26 of that season, had the Dragons defeated the Bulldogs, they would have qualified for the finals and the Cowboys would have finished ninth, meaning Green would currently be facing his third straight season missing the finals.
So, two grand finals suggest he has the runs on the board, but you canโt discount the element of luck either. You could argue theyโre in a rebuilding phase after the retirement of Johnathan Thurston, but they qualified for a grand final without him and still have a team stacked with representative players.
Green will go down as arguably North Queenslandโs greatest ever coach, but the Cowboys look like a team desperate for a fresh start, both collectively and individually.
Yes yes yes. Why does Green persisit with Hess as centre when there’s a gazillion backs for the Blackhawks. Why do you kill Tamalamus career by persisting with him at lock instead of on the edge. Hell even but him at centre. Why……
Begone Green, begooooone
He has lost the dressing room only the couple of old players he keeps picking are the ones who are pouring cold water on the rumours!!!
There is a bloke named Shaun Nona who was in the Pride and St George Illawarra win Qld and NSW Intrust cup winning sides…I scratch my head why he doesn’t get a look in a first grade side…
Well done Woody or whatever your name is, you have turned a good story about Green from the Cowboys into a Souths bashing. You must be soooooo jealous of souths.
You must have a boring life woody re-edwoody, re phrase that ,have no doubt your friends, all one of them, think your boring as well, what does your day entail Ed, going on all the league sites and commenting on it, and in what name do you use?, have you killed woody off on those sites yet? feel sorry for you, not, get a life mate and at least admit your a closet Souths supporter , how else can you explain your constant bagging of this club, for the record we don’t want you, so f…off you dropkick.
As for the topic , it is time for Green to part ways clearly he has lost the dressing room.
Woody is doing a Ronald M except where Ronald did not like the sharks and exposed their every weakness, Woody’s focus is on Souths.
Are they one and the same person just shifted the point of their hatred ?
I don’t think so.
Ronald’s comments were generally well written with some truth to them, sure he stretched that truth on occasion but his bashing had reason and truth about them. Woody just rants about Souths with comments that aren’t even coherent at times. No, I think Woody is a wannabe imitating the Master.
The Cowboys dont have the luxury of just needing a caretaker like the $12M transit roosters (wikipedia).
If Green was the current caretaker of the $12M roosters he would be labelled a great coach by the media.
Throw Robinson over to the Cowboys and watch their continued demise under this lightweight.
Edward, google name and or sharks.
I posted a longer reply but it got nobbled by the ZT nobbling brigade.
Edward
Ronnie aka RonaldM aka Marldon aka DonMarl (note the anagrams) was a serial poster around here for years who constantly attacked Cronulla (nick naming them the S_h_o_n_k_i_e_s if my memory serves). Try googling him, there was tons of stuff around on him at one time. Hasn’t been seen for years though.
Oh and I never said anything about Walker !
Green will pull the pin today if my mail is correct
As a Queenslander watching my 2 clubs, Broncos playing boyd๐ก
The next that makes me feel that way is Hess the dress.๐ก๐ก
Green needs to go for sure.
Letting ponga go for Coote(smart move)๐ก
Letting kika go for that dress๐ก
Buying the dud Jordan kahu form us.
Cows have a long road in front of them.
Get rid off him.
Woody, please tell me all you know about growing up…โฆโฆโฆโฆโฆโฆโฆโฆโฆโฆโฆโฆโฆโฆโฆโฆโฆโฆโฆโฆโฆโฆโฆ There, I have left a space for your answer.