They may have combined to steer the Cowboys to the 2017 Grand Final after Johnathan Thurston’s season-ending injury, but Te Maire Martin isn’t convinced his partnership with Michael Morgan is where it needs to be.

In a stunning admission on Monday, Martin told reporters the two halves needed more time getting used to each other just two months out from the season opener.

“We had a little burst [playing together] in 2017 when I came up, when Johnno got injured. We went pretty far that year which was good,” he said.

“Like everyone else, [Morgan’s] easy to get along with and a really good talker. So it makes it a lot easier when you have a dominant talker like that.

Round 19

“So it’s not perfect but the combination’s there and we’re working on it.”

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They didn’t get a chance to build on their combination in 2018, as Thurston enjoyed an unhampered swan-song season — but both men spent time in the halves alongside the future Immortal.

Morgan will play halfback and Martin is set to be thrown the no.6 jumper for their round one meeting with the Dragons.

But a strong pre-season and several solid performances from Jake Clifford at the back-end of the 2018 season has ensured it’s not a one-horse race.

And the Kiwi international is by no means claiming the position is already his. In fact he has also thrown Carlin Anderson into the mix as a potential starting half.

“It’s sort of too early to say [who’ll be five-eighth] at the moment. I’m not too sure if [Green] has got the team fully booked in yet and I’m not thinking too far ahead,” Martin said.

“I’ve got to work hard because the jersey’s not just going to get given to me. There are a lot of players around who are pushing for it as well. You know you’ve got ‘Cliffo’ and Carlin and all that too. So it’s not going to be easy.”

But the 23-year-old is in peak physical shape after a full pre-season in Townsville — including adding a few kilos of muscle to his frame — and he’s determined to earn a contract extension with a breakout year.

“I got injured and missed out on the Kiwis [tour] and got to do the whole pre-season which really helped me out, especially the bit before Christmas where I did a lot of running and got the k’s in the legs,” he said.

“I feel pretty good to go now. It is a really important year for me, coming off contract at the end of the year. I’m looking to really work hard on my positional stuff.”

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