The Cowboys weren’t able to target Braydon Trindall’s shoulder as much as they would have liked in last week’s loss to the Sharks, but he might not be so lucky on Saturday if a couple of Roosters stars get the chance to go after him.

Trindall missed the final three games of the regular season with a shoulder injury but returned in the elimination final where he handled himself in defence against the rampaging Heilum Luki.

North Queensland wanted to test him out early and often, but a number of errors and poor discipline meant Trindall only had to make three tackles in the first half.

“We knew he was coming back from a shoulder injury quite early, so it was something we were thinking about,” Cowboys star Tom Dearden said.

“We wanted to do that (test him out), but when we’re making a lot of errors and don’t have enough possession, it’s hard to fully execute that part of it.”

The Cronulla five-eighth finished the contest with nine tackles and two misses, with Trindall suffering a stinger in the dying stages when he put his body on the line to stop Luki.

He now has to contend with Roosters back-rower Siua Wong, who is enjoying his best year in the NRL on their lethal right edge.

But there is a balancing act to going after someone in defence, with the Storm going away from their game plan in the 2018 grand final when they sent traffic at Roosters halfback Cooper Cronk, who played with a broken scapula.

“I think definitely (it’s something we look at), but obviously it’s a 13 v 13 game, and I think that’s what it’s going to take for us this weekend to create that win is all 17 of us who take that field,” Wong said.

“Obviously, it’s something to keep in mind, but we’ve got a game plan that we’ve got set and we’ve just got to follow it.

“For our team, we have a certain style of how we play and I feel like when we follow that we’re at our best.

“But we’ll take our cues. If we see something in the game with Trindall or whoever it may be, we’ll make sure we capitalise on it.”

Right centre Robert Toia will also be a key figure on that edge, with the representative star breaking down how the Roosters like to attack.

“I wouldn’t say it’s a game plan because I think it’s just our footy we play,” he said when asked about going after Trindall.

“Siua just targets the three-in man, and myself as well, I’ll run at the three-man sometimes, too. So I don’t know if it would be a game plan, but if Siua happens to run at him, then I guess (we’ll see what happens).”

Originally published as ‘Make sure we capitalise on it’: Roosters duo will make life hell for Braydon Trindall if they can target his injured shoulder