By PETER JESSUP
Cowboy David Myles was a centre when he shifted from the Warriors to the North Queensland club, but he has made the number six position his own and tomorrow faces one of the game's champion five-eighths for the third week in a row.
First it was the Bulldogs'
Braith Anasta in the Cowboys' 30-22 win, then Darren Lockyer as the Broncos were expelled from the playoffs 10-0 when Myles scored the only try of the game.
"I don't think there is much that I do that stands out," he said of his own game. "Just consistency, I think."
Myles said coach Graham Murray knew what he was going to get every time he was selected - defence and support play.
Now 26 and coming into his own after stints with the Gold Coast, Cronulla and the Warriors before arriving in Townsville, Myles has upped his strike rate: from 107 games he has 28 tries and in two seasons for the Cowboys he has featured in every game, scoring 18 tries from 49 starts.
Myles grew up in Brisbane and was a Queensland under-17 and under-19 rep before making his debut for the Gold Coast Chargers in 1998, then falling into limbo as the club was folded. He was in the second tier of players at Cronulla before he shifted to the Warriors in 2000 under coach Mark Graham. He played 20 games that year and 17 the next under Graham's successor, Daniel Anderson, but just three in 2002 when the team made its grandfinal.
Myles has worked on his kicking game since arriving in Townsville but his support play is still his best feature, earning him the only try in the playoff against Brisbane. He is also developing an ability to stand in the tackle and offload a la Brad Fittler.
At Stadium Australia tomorrow Myles has a big job keeping the maestro of the sixes in check. Playing in his last games before retirement, Fittler has been noticeably slower than he was but has still managed breaks around the ruck that have produced tries for himself and team-mates.
Myles said before leaving Townsville that preventing mistakes was crucial - the Roosters would make them pay every time.
The Cowboys have not beaten the Roosters in their last nine contests. But then they had never beaten Brisbane until last weekend.
Nicknamed "Gilbert" at the Warriors, after the former MP from Mt Roskill, Myles was a quiet character, so it surprised many when he split from his wife after meeting a team cheerleader, with whom he now lives in Townsville. The ruction caused some disquiet at Warriors' HQ at the time but the flow-on was worse, with rumours circulating about other players chasing cheerleaders.
That did nothing to foster good relations when the Warriors and Cowboys met at Ericsson this year. The visitors ran out close winners in a sometimes spiteful game where the Warriors let themselves be rattled and conceded penalties.
Myles had little to say after the game, but he has been talkative with the media through this finals series, a sure sign of his growing confidence in the NRL. Another came when he squared up to big Willie Mason as an altercation developed during the Bulldogs game a fortnight ago.
That match was a benchmark for the Cowboys, as was the following game against Brisbane. Could they do it again?
No one else thought so - but the Cowboys had developed a belief in themselves, Myles said. They were not going to be easy-beats.
Yesterday the local fans lined the route to the airport to farewell their heroes. The team had requested the send-off, after a spontaneous display the week they flew south to play the Dogs. They have had pre-match motivational speeches from former Kangaroo, NSW and Penrith star Mark Geyer and will again tomorrow.
Busloads of fans have paid A$190 for a 28-hour non-stop trip to Sydney for the game, with a 28-hour immediate return trip at fulltime.
It's that sort of motivation that the Cowboys need as they face a team laden with stars, one they should have no chance against, one heavily favoured by the guys who put their money where their mouth is - the bookies.
But Myles was not in the least intimidated by the prospect of facing Fittler in an away game where the emotion of his imminent retirement will count for plenty. The Cowboys have their own adrenalin pump.
David Myles
Blurb1:
TextBox1:
* Born 7/2/78 Brisbane
* 94kg 188cm
* NRL debut: for Gold Coast R4 1998
* Career: 107 games for the Chargers, Warriors and Cowboys, 28 tries.
* 2004, 25 games, 18 tries.
* Averages: 7 hit-ups for 7m gain, 1 off-load, 20 tackles per game; 0.4 errors, 1.4 missed tackles
By PETER JESSUP
Cowboy David Myles was a centre when he shifted from the Warriors to the North Queensland club, but he has made the number six position his own and tomorrow faces one of the game's champion five-eighths for the third week in a row.
First it was the Bulldogs'
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