Cowboys coach Todd Payten says his team can make a late season charge and be a force in the finals just days after the club experienced its “darkest day”.
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That’s how Payten described the 82-12 loss to the Roosters at home last Friday night.
He revealed this week that he didn’t allow the players to go straight home after the match and hide, but asked them to face their fans.
“I asked our players and staff to turn up to the leagues club after the match. It was a late game but it is important that we front up together. We did that, we addressed it and now we move forward,” Payten said.
Fast forward seven days and Payten entered a post-game press conference with a smile on his face after a 30-8 win over the Titans on the Gold Coast.
Payten reflected on the preparation leading up to Thursday night’s game and praised his players for making it a productive week at training.
“Last week was difficult, the first 12, 15 hours after the game were really tough,” Payten said.
“But we had to get past it and we did that. The boys were sprightly on Monday and went after their work and it was probably one of the easiest weeks to be fair.
“It was less detailed around what we’re doing from the coaching aspect, and it was more just around our attitude and effort.
“We’ve got a group here that get past things pretty quickly. I think the modern player does as a general rule.”
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The Cowboys were never really threatened by the Titans, putting on five tries, including two in the opening 12 minutes to set up a handy lead.
Payten said once they got it to 18-4, the game was over.
