Jason Taumalolo has hit back at criticism over his stint in reserve grade, making it clear that playing for Mackay in the Queensland Cup was his own decision and one he stands by as a necessary step in his return to full fitness and form.
The North Queensland enforcer returned to the NRL last Friday in the Cowboys' clash with Brisbane, clocking 46 minutes and 150 metres after a delayed start to his 2024 campaign due to off-season foot surgery.
But his comeback wasn't straight back into first grade. Instead, Taumalolo opted to run out for Mackay, a decision that drew the ire of rugby league commentator Matthew Johns.
"I'm old school, but in my opinion, legends like Jason Taumalolo shouldn't play reserve grade," said Johns, per News Corp.
โPlayers of the calibre and experience of Taumalolo don't need to play lower grades to prove their fitness and capabilities. Even if he was capable of only playing 25 minutes against the Sharks, it's his presence and leadership which would have made a difference.โ
Taumalolo, however, was unequivocal.
โI made that decision for myself to benefit from,โ he said, via the AAP.
โThe last thing I wanted to do was come into an NRL game a bit underdone, struggling and being a liability for those around me.โ
With the Cowboys nursing an 0-3 start heading into Round 4 against Canberra, there's little margin for missteps.
But Taumalolo isn't one to dodge accountability, and he made clear the call to ease his way back through Queensland Cup came entirely from him, not coach Todd Payten.
โI made the decision. I know there has been a lot of talk about the decision I made but it was entirely on myself,โ he said.
โPlaying Queensland Cup before last week's game definitely helped. I thought I'd get more kilometres in the legs and get myself going. Last week, although I was struggling at times, it wasn't too bad. I'll be going into this week a lot more confident.
โThere is a long season ahead but there are a lot of positives we can take out of last week,โ he said. โIf we can start the way we did and span that over 80 minutes it will go a long way towards us improving.โ
Still, history looms. No team in the NRL era has lost its first four games and gone on to win the premiership.
The Cowboys famously bucked early-season trends in 2015, rebounding from an 0-3 start to claim the title, but they had Johnathan Thurston steering the ship.
