Legends respond to O'Brien's shot at the Cowboys

North Queensland Cowboys legend Matty Bowen has responded to Newcastle Knights coach Adam O’Brien saying his side were more “battle-hardened” ahead of their elimination final.

The Knights head into the do-or-die clash after a must win game against the Dolphins last week but also following tight contests against Cronulla and defending premiers Penrith in recent weeks.

While the Cowboys recorded two 38-point wins in the past three weeks, prompting O’Brien to make the comments in a press conference on Tuesday.

“I feel like we’re battle hardened… we’ve been in some really tight contests… we’re more ready for a tight battle, we’re more ready than what the opposition are, I think they’ve had some really big blowout score lines and haven’t had a real tight contest in a while,” O’Brien said.

Bowen, who played 270 games for the Cowboys, said playing tough games could go the other way as well.

“That can take a toll, that can take a toll at the backend of the year when you are playing those games,” he said on SENQ Mornings.

“The question is just which Cowboys are going to turn up this week? We play good one week, we’re disappointing one week.”

Fellow Queenslander Corey Parker said the comments added some spice to the final.

“There’s a little jibe there,” he said.

“Well, it’d be fair to say that the Cowboys, looking at the two teams and what they’ve faced, the Cowboys, they’ve been very inconsistent.

“Everyone has been crying out for a performance like what we’d seen on the weekend, they played a side that was the fairy-tale of the NRL and they absolutely took them to town.

“The Newcastle Knights, for me, they’re just too heavily dominant on one player… Kalyn Ponga is their man.”

The Cowboys won the only previous meeting between the two teams this season in Round 2 with Chad Townsend kicking a game-winning field goal.