Confidence key for fit and firing Luki in first finals foray

Earmarked as a player of the future by Cowboys club legend Jason Taumalolo, tryscoring back-rower Heilum Luki is finding his feet in his first finals campaign after an injury-riddled couple of seasons.

Luki's form this year saw him included in the extended Maroons squad and he is finally feeling fit and healthy and happy to be contributing as part of a Cowboys squad who have defied critics to reach a semi-final.

“It's been a bit of an up and down season for me. I started the season with an injury, so I've had to work my way back, but I'm feeling more and more confident as I go throughout each game,” Luki said.

“Hopefully I take that confidence into the next game.”

Of Samoan and Niuean heritage, Luki’s progression this season has earned praise from Taumalolo, who was happy to see his young teammate grow each week after missing six weeks early in the season with an ankle injury.

In past years, Luki has also had to overcome significant setbacks including a facial fracture, hamstring issues and a season-ending ACL injury in 2022 which saw him miss North Queensland’s finals campaign.

“Obviously you have Reubes [Reuben Cotter] and Tommy [Dearden] who are leading the charge; but one guy who hasn’t had a healthy run apart from this year and he is really making a name for himself is Heilum Luki, he’s really stepped it up a notch,” Taumalolo said.

“We could always see the potential in pre-season and throughout the year, but it was just a matter of getting himself healthy and staying on the field and he's managed to do that for most of this year and showing what he’s really capable of.

“Guys like him and Jeremiah, who is going to be here for quite are while, these young players are the foundation of the club moving forward.

“Hopefully they do make a lot of finals runs and win a premiership in the next couple of years, which they are capable of.”

That quest to add to their 2015 premiership began last Saturday with North Queensland’s win against the Knights and will continue on Friday night when they take on the Sharks.

“It's going to be a tough game and we have just got to stick to what we know that works and stick to our footy and really go down there and just play our game,” Luki said.

“I know that (we can) and I have belief in the team that we'll be able to get the job done.

“We have just got to go down there and play our own style footy and I'm confident that we’ll do that.”