NRL: Cooper in mood to skin some Sharks on 100th game

The Cowboys, who have given fans little to cheer in recent seasons, will be keen to build on their best start since 2007. Photo / Thinkstock

Journeyman forward and milestone man Gavin Cooper says North Queensland must subdue Cronulla's State of Origin-like pack for him to celebrate his 100th NRL game with a win tonight.

After launching an NRL career which has taken him to the Gold Coast (2007-08) and Penrith (2009-10), the 25-year-old is back home with the Cowboys, where he debuted in 2006.

He would have loved to have played his 100th game at Dairy Farmers Stadium last weekend when the Cowboys beat Canberra and says the powerful Sharks pack will take a ton of stopping.

Canberra fielded a huge pack last weekend but the Cowboys handled them comfortably and Cooper is looking forward to the next challenge at Toyota Stadium.

"They've got [Luke] Douglas and [Kade] Snowden up front and they'll probably both be NSW's front-rowers this year and you've got [Anthony] Tupou on the edge," said Cooper.

"When he's in form, he offloads at will. He gives the Sharks another dimension.

"It will be a real test for us in the middle and don't forget about Paul Gallen, he is in magnificent form."

Cooper, born in Murgon, said playing his 100th game for the Cowboys would allow him to proclaim himself a North Queenslander after playing for two other NRL clubs.

"I almost came back after my stint at the Gold Coast. I always had a soft spot for the Cowboys, even when I moved on [to Penrith]," he said.

"My girlfriend's family is from Innisfail so we spend a lot of time up here. It's my second home."

He laughed off suggestions he was the Cowboys' new "bad boy" after two trips to the judiciary already this season.

"They were both very unlucky," he said.

"The first one, the guy was falling [in the tackle] and the other one I just grabbed the player the wrong way and we all let go of him at the same time. I'll be a bit more careful from now on with lifting tackles."

That doesn't mean Cooper will be going easy on the Sharks.

"This will be a massive test in the forwards for us," he said.

"Like us, Cronulla have changed their attitude this season.

"They hang in for 80 minutes and you have to play the game out to beat them."

The Cowboys, who have given fans little to cheer in recent seasons, will be keen to build on their best start since 2007.

"There's a real good feeling amongst the boys," said Cooper. "We're coming off back-to-back wins, that hasn't happened for a while."

- AAP