While he may find it challenging to come up with new ways to answer the same questions each year, no-nonsense North Queensland Toyota Cowboys co-captain Matt Scott still relishes the Queensland derby each time it rolls around.
And this week has been no different as the Cowboys prepare to do battle with the Brisbane Broncos at Suncorp Stadium, both teams last-start winners and having shared a recent string of results that are scarcely believable.
“I reckon I’ve been asked the same question for 10 years straight,” said Scott during a mid-week media call ahead of the Friday night blockbuster.
“But seriously, these games are always a good spectacle, they’re exciting to be a part of and the recent string of results between the sides certainly points to a good contest.”
Those contests stretch back to Round 1 of the 2015 finals series when the Broncos bested the Cowboys 16-12 in a true arm wrestle where goal kicking prevailed.
The sides would meet three weeks later in that NRL grand final for the ages – famously won 17-16 by the Cowboys – while the subsequent two games were one-point margins, first to Brisbane, then to the Cowboys.
The last meeting between the sides was a 26-20 extra-time win to the Cowboys in the 2016 finals series, with Johnathan Thurston’s deft flick pass in traffic to Michael Morgan the game deciding play.
Scott relishes all the encounters and is looking forward to writing a new chapter in a rivalry always played in great spirit.
“They’re typically close contests of late between the sides because you’ve got two quality teams that seem to play their best footy against each other,” Scott said.
“I hope this one’s not close as we’ve already had a golden point game this year (versus the Raiders in Round 1), but that’s the way things have panned out this year."
Scott will be looking for a repeat dose of the strong form he showed against Canberra, the veteran prop running for over 200 damaging metres just days after being hospitalised with a nasty leg infection.
Friday’s game kicks off at 7.05pm.
