Hoare set for finals crucible

Rockhampton boy Sam Hoare is hoping to continue his good form this season through the finals for the Cowboys.

Supplied

WITH the NRL side finished for the year, the premiership hopes of North Queensland rest on one big set of shoulders.

Those shoulders belong to Rockhampton's Sam Hoare and the 19- year-old is excitedly preparing for his first taste of finals football when the Cowboys take on the Sydney Roosters on Saturday afternoon.

The match is to be played at the Sydney Football Stadium in the first round of the Toyota Cup finals series as lead-up to the Wests Tigers v Roosters NRL final.

Hoare has been a vital part of the Cowboys charge to the finals this season, with the big front rower playing in all but one game this season.

The Cowboys go into the match as favourites having won their round 26 match last weekend against the Roosters 29-28 with halfback Michael Morgan kicking a field goal in the dying minutes.

Despite deserving a home semi-final after finishing in the top four the Cowboys will travel to Sydney to play at the Roosters' home ground but are still confident.

“For the last two years we've been pretty good in Sydney,” Cowboys under-20s coach Kristian Wolf said.

“When I mentioned that we were playing at the SFS yesterday I think there was a fair bit of excitement around the type of game it's going to be and the crowd that's going to be there.

“Our boys don't mind playing in Sydney at all.”

Playing the same side in consecutive weeks allows coaches and players to fine tune their side's however, and while Hoare is expecting the Roosters to step it up a level, he is confident they can repeat last week's performance.

“I'm feeling confident after beating them, but as you can expect semi-finals are always going to be tight and tough contests,” Hoare said.

After joining the Cowboys in 2009, the former Emmaus College student started the year in the Townsville competition but earned a spot in the Toyota Cup side for the final seven rounds.

Hoare attributes his form this season not only to the experience gained last year, but to the knowledge and experience of Wolf and his coaching staff at the club.

Having re-signed for another two years at the club and with a host of big name forwards leaving the club next season, Hoare is hoping his form through this year's finals series can help propel him into the top squad for the upcoming pre-season.

“I'd definitely love to get a crack,” he said.