Lowe stoked for milestone

Growing up in Goondiwindi, Ethan Lowe had a dream of one day playing just one NRL game – this weekend he plays his 100th, all of them for the North Queensland Toyota Cowboys.

When he takes the field against the Gold Coast Titans on Saturday night, Lowe will become just the 24th player to have appeared in 100 or more games for the Cowboys.

Reaching the milestone will see the 27-year-old join a prestigious group which includes club legends Matt Bowen, Aaron Payne and Paul Bowman as well as current teammates Johnathan Thurston, Matt Scott, Scott Bolton, Gavin Cooper, Antonio Winterstein, Kane Linnett, Jason Taumalolo and Michael Morgan.

A former under 20s star with the Roosters, Lowe made his NRL debut in Round 12 of the 2013 season and immediately made his mark, scoring a try in a Cowboys loss to the Titans.

He played just one more game during his maiden season and only 10 in 2014, but by the end of 2015 Lowe had emerged as a crucial member of Paul Green’s side.

The second-rower started all 28 games the Cowboys played in 2015, including the club’s historic maiden grand final victory over the Broncos.

With his family travelling to Townsville to help him celebrate the milestone, Lowe said he expects Saturday to be a night which creates many special memories.

“It’s a pretty special milestone not a lot of players get to so I’m pretty excited to become a part of that crew. It’s really exciting to do it all at the one club,” he said.

“This isn’t a milestone I ever thought I’d reach. It was also a dream just to play NRL, I got to do that and now to do it 100 times coming up on the weekend will be pretty cool.

“I’ve got family coming up to enjoy the night so hopefully we can get a win to celebrate.”

Lowe has adapted to a different role for the Cowboys this year.

After spending the majority of the last three seasons starting on the right edge, Lowe has transformed into a crucial asset off the bench for Paul Green in 2018.

“It’s a different role for me coming off the bench and trying to get up to the speed of the game really fast, but it’s what I’ve been asked to do for the team and it’s what I’m going to do,” he said.

“Obviously like any player I’d like to start, but I’m happy to do whatever the team needs to try and get wins.”