A brave comeback by James Segeyaro may be for nothing after North Queensland coach Neil Henry hinted utility Anthony Mitchell would be their back-up hooker against Cronulla on Sunday – and possibly for their entire NRL finals campaign.
Penrith-bound Segeyaro, 22, was expected to miss the rest of the season when he suffered a freak ankle injury in round 13 against the Gold Coast in June.
However, the livewire rake surprised many when he made an impressive return for Cowboys feeder side Northern Pride in the Queensland Cup last weekend, scoring two tries in a 70-minute burst.
He was rewarded by being named on a seven-strong extended Cowboys bench for the Cronulla clash.
But Mitchell’s stunning hand as stand-in halfback for Michael Morgan in last weekend’s win over Newcastle may squeeze Segeyaro out of the Cowboys mix.
With Morgan returning at halfback against the Sharks, Mitchell appeared to have the inside running as hooker Aaron Payne’s back-up – not Segeyaro.
“Anthony has proven his versatility. I thought he was tremendous,” Henry said of Mitchell’s halfback stint last weekend – the first time he had worn the No.7 jersey since he was 15.
“He has not played in the halves for quite a while but he handled it nicely.
“And I thought Aaron Payne was pretty sharp out of dummy half.
“At face value you would say they are the guys we will go with (to cover the hooker role).”
Henry still paid tribute to Segeyaro after battling his way back into Cowboys consideration before leaving to take up a three-year deal with the Panthers.
“James has certainly put his hand up. He has worked very hard to get back on the park to get a game in before our last round,” he said.
But the Cowboys coach added: “We can’t have Anthony and James on the bench at the same time – it will have to be one or the other.
“But certainly the hooking role we have well and truly covered at the moment.”
Henry will decide on his final 17 on the weekend.
The Cowboys can lock up a top four spot if South Sydney or Manly lose and North Queensland down the Sharks.
But Henry said they were confident of giving the finals “a shake” from wherever they finish on the NRL ladder.
“We can’t finish worse than fifth. We will know closer to kick off what all the scenarios are and whether we are a chance of making fourth,” he said.
“But we know we can compete with the best teams and are building good momentum with three wins in a row.
“We will approach the finals in a positive frame of mind … and give it a shake.”