Todd Payten v Journalist, North Queensland Cowboys v Canberra Raiders, Ricky Stuart, Round 1
Cowboys coach Todd Payten has been angered by a question about his side’s attack after they lost an 18-0 lead and remained scoreless in the second half to settle for a one-point win over the Raiders.
Payten reminded a reporter of his side’s good start when asked how he planned to convert the Cowboys’ continued pressure into more points after the 19-18 win in Townsville.
“Ah, it was 18-6 after quite a bit of pressure and it was 18-0 so you want it to be 40?” Payten balked.
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“So you’re satisfied with three tries?” the journalist shot back.
“Yes, absolutely,” Payten replied.
“I thought three tries would be a good return for the pressure we’re getting. Trying to score is not easy in this game.
“It’s the pressure we put on ourselves that doesn’t make me happy.”
However, Payten admitted his side had taken their foot off the gas and was frustrated with his side’s performance on both sides at half-time when they could have finished the game.
“It was a bit like a Jekyll and Hyde performance, I thought,” Payten said.
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“I thought that in the first game we had a lot of possession, played really well, got our last plays right and put a lot of pressure on.
“The possession of the ball was 75 to 25 percent at half-time.
“I was really disappointed conceding that try before halftime considering we only defended two sets on our own try line.
“The first try just wasn’t good enough. At the start of the second half I challenged the lads to go on seven out of seven and fold the risky plays and it didn’t happen.”
Payten was also asked about the concussion debate in which an independent doctor decided to eliminate players and Ricky Stuart launched a tirade against the NRL in his press conference.
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Payten believes the new system discourages players from taking penalties and wants it to continue despite obvious disadvantages for coaches.
“I don’t really have an opinion either way, but I like the fact that when you lie down and try to milk a penalty, you have to pull away,” Payten said.
“That’s been happening for the past few days so for me that will eliminate people trying to get a penalty kick out of the referee.
“But the NRL made these changes due to a lack of confidence and I’m happy to continue in that vein.”
https://www.foxsports.com.au/nrl/nrl-premiership/nrl-2023-todd-payten-vs-journalist-north-queensland-cowboys-vs-canberra-raiders-ricky-stuart-round-1/news-story/55b7f8789def6a89a8cb1e4be3237a2a Todd Payten v Journalist, North Queensland Cowboys v Canberra Raiders, Ricky Stuart, Round 1
