His team’s record is so bad that North Queensland captain Michael Morgan admits he can’t stand to look at the NRL ladder.
But he insists the Cowboys’ finals destiny still rests in their hands despite pressure mounting on coach Paul Green ahead of Thursday night’s derby clash with Brisbane in Townsville.
Morgan admitted he was embarrassed by a last round 28-4 loss to Wests Tigers which plummeted North Queensland to 13th spot on the ladder, two wins outside of the top eight with five games left.
The Cowboys still mathematically remain in the finals hunt after top eight rivals the Broncos, Penrith, Newcastle and the Warriors also suffered defeat last week.
Not that Morgan knew.
He was more concerned with reviving the Cowboys after they lost six of their past seven games.
“Results may have gone our way at the weekend but I honestly don’t look at the ladder because I don’t like seeing where we are sitting,” Morgan said.
“But we can’t sit here wishing and hoping that we make the semis – it is really up to us how far our season goes at the moment.
“If we can string a couple of good performances together even a good 80 minutes together, the sooner the better.”
North Queensland will need to win their final five games to be any hope of scraping into the top eight.
It has heaped pressure on Green, amid rumours that the Cowboys coach has fallen out with players.
NSW great Laurie Daley doubled down this week by claiming North Queensland needed a coaching change if they were to revive the 2015 premiers which is struggling to improve on last season’s 13th placing.
“It just looks as though something is not right up there at the Cowboys,” Daley told Sky Sports Radio.
“Whether it is the players not getting along with the coach or his ideas have gone a little bit stale and they are just not responding.
“But they need a (coaching) change.”
If Green was feeling the pinch this week, it didn’t show according to Morgan.
“Seeing him around the place he seems quite normal,” he said.
But Morgan reckoned lining up against arch rivals Brisbane was the ideal stage for the Cowboys to launch a revival.
He rated it as their biggest home game before they switched venues next year to the new $250m North Queensland Stadium.
“It is probably our biggest last home game,” Morgan said.
“And they have been pretty special games to play (against Brisbane) so hopefully it is another one.”
STATS THAT MATTER
* Brisbane are aiming for back to back wins against North Queensland in a season for the first time since 2013.
* Brisbane and North Queensland are in the bottom three for points in the opening 20 rounds
* Brisbane are recording the most tackle busts this season (28.9 per game)
