I thought the Cowboys ticked all the boxes last night.
One of my biggest question marks hanging over the side was Jake Granville. I couldn't figure out why he wasn't starting. Rory Kostjasyn is an honest player, but he isn't on the level of Jake. Last night, Jake had the opportunity to win back his starting spot and took it with both hands. He was electric out of dummy half and Souths couldn't handle him. Any opportunity and Jake was all over it. He's an Origin player, I have little doubt on that. However, with a living legend infront of him, I struggle to see him get a shot. Queensland has been blessed with dummy halves - Conescue, the Walters brothers, Smith - one thing I hope fans remember is the amount of quality hookers who were overlooked.
The Cowboys are the total package for mine. They play a sensible brand of football that plays to the strengths of the footy side. They roll through you and when the moment is right they go to one of their spine players and they typically sum up the situation. Coote, Morgan, JT and Granville - they're in the Top 5 for their respective positions and really compliment one another.
Like any team they've got their share of weaknesses. Due to their size, they can struggle to defend the ruck and if you can get a quick play the ball away for one of your halves the gaps can really open up in the middle. We saw an instance of that when Luke Keary set up Chris Grevsmuhl. James Tamou couldn't go with him, which created space between Lowe and Morgan. It's a chink in their armour and that's why they concede a lot of penalties, because their forwards can struggle with the speed and physicality of the performance. It's going to cost them at some point in time but with the current make-up of the team it's difficult to see when that will be. Especially in the post-season where the officials are hesitant to give away penalties.
A lot of people seem interested in Souths woes. How did the 2014 team, a side that had forgotten how to lose, get so good at losing? Is it GI? Are they missing Walker, Grant, Stewart and McQueen? Have the Burgess brothers been figured out? etc.
It's all of the above.
Souths haven't given themselves a chance in recent weeks. Blown opportunities, poor handling, soft defensive efforts - it's the antithesis of the grinding style of footy they play. When Souths are at their best, they roll through teams, attempt a set play and if all else fails they rely on the boot of Adam Reynolds.
Last night they couldn't even get step one right. The Burgess boys had one of those games where they had flippers for hands and they hurt their side. And if it wasn't the forwards, then it was their hooker McInnes who is a real maverick out of dummy half. Nobody knows what he's doing there. For a side like Souths that relies so much on momentum and getting on the front foot, the work from McInnes isn't good enough. I'm not sure how long Cook is out for, but if I'm coach Maguire it's the first position I would change.
I don't know if he could handle it, but Luke Keary strikes me as the type of player who could fill the role if need be. He's come under fire in recent weeks, but Keary is fast on his feet and has a real team first mentality. If the situation doesn't improve next week, I'd consider a 6. Walker 7. Reynolds 9. Keary combination with Cook coming in once he's ready.
As good as the Cowboys were, I thought last night spoke volumes about Souths and where they're at. They're capable of better and have faith that Morgan will steady the ship but I struggle to see where they're going to find an extra gear in the big games.