FORMER Windsor Wolves player Lachlan Coote has claimed an NRL premiership along with the rest of his North Queensland Cowboys team mates.
The Cowboys had an absolute fairytale win over the Brisbane Broncos, after the team scored a miraculous try on the stroke of full-time to level the score, before Johnathon Thurston kicked a field goal in over time to win the game.
While Coote did not have a spectacular game by any means he was a reliable player, who the Cowboys looked to get the ball to often.
The Broncos’ defence kept Coote well contained, despite a lot of ball coming his way when the Cowboys were on the attack.
At one stage in the second half, Coote looked to have sliced his way through the Broncos near impenetrable defence, but a desperate tackle by Broncos forward Matt Gillett stopped him.
However, despite coming down well short of the line, the temptation to reach out and plant the ball was too great for Coote, and the illegal double-movement was promptly penalised.
Coote has not earned the accolades of Johnathon Thurston for his services to the Cowboys, but his impact on the team cannot be understated.
Coote signed with the Cowboys last season, but missed the entire year after suffering an ACL tear, and made his debut with the team in round three of this season.
The Cowboys lost the first three matches of the season, and then went on an 11 game winning streak.
Coote’s presence allowed the Cowboys to move Michael Morgan out of the fullback spot and into the five-eighth position.
The arrangement clearly suited the Cowboys, as the team stuck with it for the rest of the season.
He was clearly one of the missing pieces for a Cowboys team which has promised much in past years, but failed to deliver.
