'We deserve to be here': Purdue backs Cowboys to make finals chance count

“I am very excited … it's my first ever finals appearance, so very excited and I can't wait to rip in on Saturday night,” Purdue said.

“It's all pretty new to me, to be honest … we had a training session (today), we trained really well and it sort of didn't feel really much different.

“But talking to some of the leaders and more experienced guys, they're saying through the back-end of the week, that's when the nerves start to kick in and a bit more pressure hits your way.

“(For now) I feel like it's just another week and another game to play.

“Obviously it's a do-or-die match, but that's what's so exciting about it and I can't wait.

“It means a lot to us this final series, but I think to the whole of North Queensland, our fan base, it's a massive, massive thing for everyone here.

“It's a great community and everyone gets behind us.

“I still remember as a kid when the Cowboys would make the finals, I used to race home and that'd be the best thing and most exciting day for me – to watch the Cowboys play in the finals.

“I still remember that 2022 match when they won against Sharks at Shark Park and it's a pretty cool experience to be able to finally play in a finals game and to put that Cowboys jersey on for a final … is very exciting."

Like others in his team have conceded, Purdue admits consistency has been the side’s biggest weakness this season as their fought their way to an eighth-place finish.

However, he felt his side deserved to be in the play-offs and knew what they needed to do in order to upset the fifth-placed Cronulla side.

“In our meeting (this morning), we talked about how the past five weeks don't really matter and it's how you show up on a final game and play; and how you prepare for that game,” Purdue told NRL.com.

“Because it is a do-or-die, you have got to scrap the past weeks out of your memory bank and really switch on.

“From now on in, you have got to play your best game every game, otherwise you'll be knocked out.

“I think in the past weeks, we haven't respected our ball a lot, so I think we're making too many errors out of yardage, which is giving the other team way too many opportunities in our own end.

“I think if we respect the ball, kick to our corners and just do the boring stuff right, that's really going to take us a long way out of the game.

“Sharks have such a good spine and such a good team where we can't give them many opportunities, because they'll pounce on it.

“We've got our homework to do this week ... and then we will know what we've got to do to beat them Saturday night.”

While they recorded strong wins over heavyweight clubs throughout the season, including a defining win over the Panthers in Jason Taumalolo’s record-breaking game played in front of Tongan royalty, there have also been some historic lows.

Their 82-12 loss to the Roosters was a dark day for the club, with the Roosters 48-0 lead at the break also the highest halftime score in competition history.

However, with doubter using those types of results as a reason to discount the Townsville-based side from progressing past the first week of the finals, Purdue looked at it as an opportunity.

“I think that's probably the best thing about it; no one's really expecting us to do well, so that really motivates us,” Purdue said.

“We're ready to do the job.

“We believe that we can go deep into this final series … in a way, it does take a little bit of pressure off, but again, there is obviously pressure on everyone to perform at this level and in a big game like this.

“Everyone's sort of writing us off, so I think we sort of look at that as motivation, it makes us eager and hungry to knock off some teams in these finals.

“I think it's a very exciting opportunity for us and there's many teams that wish they were in our shoes at the moment.

“I think we all know as a team that we deserve to be here and we believe that we can really make a dent in this final series and go deep into the final series.”

After 27 epic rounds, it all comes down to this. One play can define a season. These are the moments that matter. The Cowboys need your support as they chase premiership glory. Click here to secure your seats and get behind your team.