Broncos forward Pat Carrigan has refused to be drawn into a war of words against Round 21 rivals North Queensland, choosing instead to highlight the challenge ahead for his side.
After taking down a former grand final rival in Penrith last week to keep their season alive, the Broncos are primed for another challenge this week – taking on 2015 decider opponents the Cowboys in a Queensland derby.
Already a huge encounter with a long-standing - but respectful - rivalry, Cowboys coach Todd Payten did his best to light the fuse ahead of the must-win encounter.
While done no doubt to try and create a more ‘hostile’ environment for the visitors, it shows how crucial the game will be for the finals chances of both teams.
However, the Broncos – who travelled up to Townsville early on Wednesday to prepare for the game – were greeted by plenty of fans at their training sessions, with a number of Brisbane jerseys expected at the sold-out Queensland Country Bank Stadium.
"I'm sure it's there to spice it up a little bit … it's great for the game,” Carrigan said.
“North Queensland fans are passionate and Broncos fans are too.
“It's one of my favourite games of the year.
“People drive for hours to come and watch us play. The hotels are always packed, so it's going to be a great game.
"All the games I've played in so far have been decided by close margins.
“The Cowboys are travelling really well at the moment. They've got some outstanding young fellas and guys like Jason (Taumalolo) who are playing really good footy too.
“We're up for the challenge, but we're not looking too far ahead.
Cowboys v Broncos: Round 21
"We're really excited about it.
"It's the Queensland rivalry. It means so much to the fans.
"Every game I've played against them has been decided by small margins.
"When we played earlier this year, Drinky [Scott Drinkwater] kicked a field goal and they scored in the 80th minute.
“We're prepared to go all the way in this game and I know those boys are too.
"I know a lot of them personally, so it's going to be an exciting clash.
"I'm looking forward to it and hopefully we'll bring the two points home."
Despite the significance of the match, Carrigan did try to downplay how the result would affect his side’s finals push, saying he didn’t “look at the ladder or pay attention to that sort of thing”.
After keeping their season alive with the win over the Panthers, most pundits are predicting they need to win every game from here on in to be a chance of going back-to-back.
"For me, it's more about how we feel as a team and the level of our performances,” Carrigan said.
“We've had some performances this year that haven't been up to scratch and we've had others, like (against Penrith) that are more like what we're capable of.
"It's about getting into that rhythm.
“You definitely take confidence from what we did last year, but there's no point looking too far ahead because we've got a really big challenge this week."
Match: Cowboys v Broncos
Round 21 -
home Team
Cowboys
8th Position
away Team
Broncos
13th Position
Venue: Queensland Country Bank Stadium, Townsville
Match broadcasters:
- WatchNRL
