North Queensland have produced a complete reversal in just the space of one round - and it's left their head coach Todd Payten feeling rather impressed.
Less than two weeks after being humiliated by Cronulla on the road, the Cowboys managed to bounce back and cause a major Magic Round upset against the Roosters on Sunday afternoon.
QLD Origin trio Reuben Cotter, Valentine Holmes and Murray Taulagi all stood up and returned to form, while under-fire halfback Chad Towsnend helped pull the strings in the 20-6 victory at Suncorp Stadium.
Speaking to the media after the game, Payten admitted the past week has showed him the character of his side as they look to turn their 2023 campaign around.
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“It was a tough week – it challenged our players and challenged our character off the back of last weekend," he said.
"This month was going to be character-revealing and I liked what I saw every minute of every day at training and same in that contest.
“Off the back of last week, I thought we got punched in the face a couple of times and we just didn’t do anything about it. As a coach, I can cop losing if we are in the contest and going after it and fighting hard. It was a different team there tonight.
“We played some decent footy in some ordinary conditions. I thought our line speed and intent and our first contact was really good.
"The way we carried the ball was hard and direct – it’s not a hard game and when it all boils down, you need to run hard and tackle hard and that’s what we did.
“What’s promising and makes you feel good as a coach is your style of play. I was more concerned around our style of play tonight than the result and we got that.
"Knowing we are going to get some troops back…we just need to keep continuing to play our style of play."
Payten will be pleased to welcome back star forward Jason Taumalolo in the next fortnight, while fellow enforcers Griffin Neame and Jeremiah Nanai will be back on deck within the next month.
Despite the impressive win, Townsend was hoping the Cowboys will "keep a lid on it" ahead of a must-win clash at home against the Dragons in Round 11.
“It’s one game and it’s one win - it doesn’t change too much of where we’re at on the table or how we’ve played," he said.
"I think for us, we need to be more consistent and the frustrating thing so far in the season has been that’s the football we’ve got in us and we haven’t showed that consistently enough.
"The challenge for us now moving forward is to be at that standard more consistently...we’re keeping a lid on it."
