IT was a great feeling kicking the field-goal that eventually got us the win in extra-time against the Sharks, but so much went into that victory and in a lot of ways it reflected our season.

It’s been pretty widely reported that we’ve faced a lot of adversity, so to still be in with a shot at a premiership is a pretty big achievement.

We’re not done yet and we’re really confident that even after playing the extra minutes against Cronulla, we’ll give ourselves every opportunity to beat the Eels and stay alive.

STEPPING IN FOR JT

There’s been a lot of injuries that have affected our season but obviously the one that people talk about more than the others is Johnathan Thurston.

Everyone knows how big JT is for this club, so it was a fairly daunting task at first when I had to step up and become the ‘go-to guy’.

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Cowboys stars Johnathan Thurston and Michael Morgan. Picture: Evan Morgan Source: News Corp Australia

Johno has been a massive help for me in taking on that role and so has Paul Green. Greeny doesn’t get enough credit for the role he plays as a teacher. He’s been a huge influence on my career and that’s been evident again this season.

Obviously though, it’s great to have Johno around training and games to bounce off and help me with a role he’s become the master of.

It took me a while to get comfortable with it but I’m really confident in how to play the role now and Johno has helped me get into the right head space with it with a few bits and pieces of advice.

The thing that sticks out for me, is he’s helped me get better at my own game rather than trying to teach me to play like he plays.

Some of Johno’s strengths are different to mine and he’s an absolute freak so if I tried to copy him and play like he does it probably wouldn’t work out all that well for me or the team.

So he’s just looked at my game and tried to help me better it and that’s been great because I feel like I’ve grown into the responsibility.

As the main playmaker it’s my job to get us home in tight games, so I was really pleased to be able to play my role on Sunday.

Johnathan Thurston and Michael Morgan chat with Melbourne's Cameron Smith and Cooper Cronk. Picture: Wesley Monts Source: News Corp Australia

THE OTHER JT’S COMING OF AGE

But no one should underestimate how much a half like me relies on the forwards to make me look good and the whole pack deserves credit for the way we rallied to come from behind.

Jason Taumalolo is leading that pack now and I couldn’t think of a player in the competition I’d trade him for.

He’s been sensational. To have the year he had for us last year, winning the Dally M, and then signing a ten-year deal, there was a bit of doubt over whether he’d slacken off a bit and get too comfortable but he’s gone the opposite way.

He’s kept doing what he was doing last year and it’s awesome playing in the same team as

him.

I honestly believe he’s one of the best forwards to have played the game and he’s certainly the best at the moment.

Ben Ikin, Nathan Ryan and Ben Glover are joined by Cowboys GM of Football Peter Parr to discuss their finals run against the odds and why they’ll be a scary side in 2018.

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You only had to look at that set that led to the field-goal, where he took two runs and did exactly what I needed him to do to put me in a position to take the shot.

I said to him in that set, ‘I need you to take one more’ and he put his hand up. He was smart with it too, everyone knows he’s big and strong and how many metres he can make but he pulled up on the 10 metre line and found his front for the play-the-ball and that made a big difference to the field-goal shot.

If he went any further towards the tryline it starts to shut down your space as the kicker because the defensive line’s less than 10 metres away from the play-the-ball.

So to have the smarts to finish the play where he did shows how much of a leader he’s become and how much responsibility he’s prepared to take on.

THE EVOLUTION OF GREENY

Greeny can take credit for that too. He’s a great teacher for all the players in our side, no matter what position they play.

It’s been a different year this year with all the adversity we’ve been through and he’s recognised that and coached a little bit differently as well. There’s been a bit of a siege mentality, which has helped put us players in the right mindset.

Cowboys coach Paul Green looks on before a match. Source: Getty Images

He was big on the fact that whoever was picked for the side deserved their opportunity. They were as accountable as anyone else.

It didn’t matter if you’d played 200 games or it was your first game, everyone was still accountable for what you can control out on the field.

It makes people better players, it makes them so they’re more resilient in a game and he’s been really good to get players to lift players continuously and blood new guys and get them

playing well, he’s got to get a lot of credit for that.