Maroons legend Darren Lockyer has explained why he understood Cowboys coach Todd Payten's brave captaincy shake-up after the side's convincing 43-18 win over the Dolphins.
North Queensland went into last season as many experts' tip for the premiership but were bitterly disappointing, finishing 11th.
Payten then showed he wasn't afraid to make the tough decisions, axing Jason Taumololo and Chad Townsend as captains before replacing them with Tom Dearden and Reuben Cotter.
READ MORE: NRL round two teams revealed
READ MORE: 'Emotional' Thurston says 'the game has failed'
READ MORE: Demons 'in trouble' as dressing room 'tension' revealed
Explaining his decision at the time, Payten revealed the startled reaction of his former captains.
"To be honest they were a little bit surprised, but they understood where I was coming from," Payten told Triple M.
"Both those guys have shown great humility around the decision and they're willing and want us to be successful, and Tom and Reubes successful and they're gonna to give them all the support for us to get there."
Cotter and Dearden started their captaincy career off with a win as North Queensland blew the Dolphins off the park.
READ MORE: How to join the nine.com.au WhatsApp channel
Lockyer applauded the decision made by Payten as it showed dividends very early in the season.
"You could understand why Todd has made Tommy Dearden and Reuben Cotter captains, because of their attitudes and what they bring," he said on Wide World of Sports' QLDER.
"They bring work ethic, they bring energy.
Watch the 2024 NRL premiership live and free on Nine and 9Now.
"Tom Dearden was enormous from the perspective of little things in the game, the amount of times he was first down there on a kick chase and made the first tackle was huge and that was leading by example.
"There was some really good performers there but I think Tom stood out for me because I know it's a big responsibility being a captain at that age and he owned it."
Lockyer added the early finish for the Cowboys may provide them with a benefit coming into this season.
"Because they had such a disappointing year last year they didn't have to play finals so they started their pre season early and they worked hard," he said.
"It was a hot summer, they just looked fit and it makes a big difference.
"We saw what the Dragons did on Saturday, if you're fit and you've come back lean, ready to go, it makes a difference."
Despite the disappointment of last season, the Cowboys managed to reach finals in 2022 under Payten for the first time since 2017.
That year they finished third, and Lockyer believes a similar position could be achieved this season if it all goes to plan.
"If they can keep their fitness up, and keep their best players out there, I think top four is easily achievable for them," he said.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.