Payten's scathing assessment of 'disappointing' Cowboys

1 year ago 93

Cowboys manager Todd Payten was unimpressed with his side's efforts against the Tigers, describing the lucifer arsenic the "worst performance" he's coached the squad to.

The drubbing saw the Cowboys concede the astir points successful the club's past arsenic the Tigers ran retired with a comfy 66-18 win astatine Leichhardt Oval.

North Queensland missed a staggering 56 tackles and completed astatine lone 72 per cent compared to the Tigers' 91 per cent connected Saturday night.

Cowboys manager Todd Payten speaks astatine the post-match property conference. (Ian Hitchcock via Getty Images)

Speaking post-match, Payten delivered a downcast appraisal of his team's performance.

"Very disappointing, precise pugnacious to watch," helium told the media.

"Probably the worst show we've had arsenic a squad since I person been astatine the club.

"Everything to play for and we were beaten astatine each parts of the crippled and successful each parts of the field."

Asked if the nonaccomplishment erased North Queensland's finals hopes not adjacent halfway into the season, Payten failed to regularisation retired his men.

"It's going to dent our confidence, but it is not a enactment done our season, no," helium said.

Cowboys players look dejected aft a Tigers try. (Matt King via Getty Images)

"What we person bash to is we person to crook astir again, we person to crook astir fast.

"We conscionable sat connected our heels, we didn't tackle oregon determination oregon tally hard capable and that's the disappointing part."

The Cowboys came into the clash with assuring wins implicit the Roosters and Dragons, but everything unravelled arsenic the Tigers piled connected the points.

Stream the NRL premiership 2023 unrecorded and escaped on 9Now

Cowboys skipper Chad Townsend besides expressed his disappointment with the performance, admitting helium did not expect the blowout margin.

"It was a pugnacious nighttime from the opening whistle, they ran harder than america and they tackled harder than america and it is simply a elemental crippled sometimes and they dominated from the precise start," helium said.

"Collectively we conscionable weren't connected contiguous which is disappointing due to the fact that I didn't spot that coming.

NRL Highlights: Tigers v Cowboys - Round 12

"[After] the past 2 weeks, I thought we'd played immoderate of our champion footy of the play and heading into this week afloat of confidence.

"It's pugnacious to instrumentality but we conscionable person to support going.

"First and foremost you bull it connected the chin, you person to beryllium accountable for your performances arsenic a squad and arsenic an individual.

"We person to support turning up and that's what we volition do, support turning up."

The Cowboys volition adjacent question to Parramatta to look the Eels connected Friday night.

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