Canberra boss Don Furner says it’s good their young players have a chip on their shoulder in response to comments made by North Queensland.
Raiders young guns Corey Horsburgh and Hudson Young want to add the scalp of Cowboys star Jason Taumalolo to their resumes when the sides meet in Canberra on Saturday.
North Queensland assistant coach Josh Hannay said the duo had a chip on their shoulder after watching them take on Souths enforcer Sam Burgess last week, and Furner agreed.
“I think most Canberrans have a chip on their shoulder, haven’t we? Canberra cops it in every sense of the word as a city so if they’ve got a chip on their shoulder with a point to prove, that’s great,” Furner told AAP.
“Look at the Cowboys pack on paper. They’re all internationals or State of Origin players and we’ve got one. The young guys bring energy and enthusiasm and want to prove a point.”
Coach Ricky Stuart says there has been no issues getting his side up for their clash against the 13th-placed Cowboys following back-to-back games against the NRL table toppers.
The fourth-placed Raiders have lost close games to Sydney Roosters and South Sydney in the past two weeks.
“It’s been a big fortnight but good teams can’t have a week off and that’s where we see ourselves,” Stuart said.
“It’s important we keep sticking to that benchmark we’re setting ourselves and if we stay consistent to that we’ll win our fair share of games.
“The younger blokes are just so excited about being there and trying to keep their position but nobody can afford to have an off week, in this competition you have an off week, you get beaten.
“They have a wonderful squad so it’s going to be a physical game of footy.”
STATS THAT MATTER
– The Raiders have won their past three games against the Cowboys and are chasing a fourth straight for the first time since 2002.
– Canberra receive the equal most penalties per game (7.7 per game), while the Cowboys concede the second fewest penalties (5.2 per game).
– Jarrod Croker requires two tries to equal Jason Croker (120 tries) as the all-time leading try scorer for the Raiders.
