Alarm bells are ringing for Paul Green after a horror NRL season start, but the besieged North Queensland coach has refused to change his gameplan.
Green admitted he was going through the toughest period of his coaching career after early title favourites the Cowboys lost at home to Canberra for the first time in 12 years last round to slump to their sixth loss in seven rounds.
Critics have taken aim at Green's tactics with North Queensland sitting second last on the NRL ladder with just two wins after completing a third of the regular season.
Former Cronulla premiership player Michael Ennis led the chorus of disapproval, saying the Cowboys looked like they were second guessing Green's gameplan.
Green conceded he was feeling the heat during the Cowboys' slump.
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Asked if this was the toughest stint of his coaching career, Green said: "Yeah, it's been pretty tough for me.
"Sometimes at different stages you go through a tough period whether it be form or injury but at some stage you go through this.
"That's the challenge of being a coach."
But Green said he wouldn't change his approach, blaming an injury-hit pre-season for upsetting their key combinations before the 2018 kick-off.
He believed the Cowboys were still adjusting since playmaker Michael Morgan's return from a sternum injury in round three.
"You just hope you do enough to get through that period to get some wins because if you don't your confidence suffers and that is probably what we've been suffering from a little bit," Green said.
"We just need to find a way to scrap out a win and we have to make sure we don't lose self confidence along the way."
The under-pressure Cowboys mentor admitted it was tempting to swing the axe for Friday night's clash with Penrith at Bathurst.
He instead made just one change - Javid Bowen replaced fellow outside back Enari Tuala on the extended bench.
Green opted to keep his squad together to get through a "tough little road trip" to Bathurst before staying down in Sydney for their May 10 clash with Wests Tigers.
"Yes I was (tempted to make changes). We are probably not too far away from that point now," Green said.
"But we have a tough little road trip ahead of us. It's a disjointed preparation - having that experience and guys used to being on the road will be handy I think.
"The squad are good at blocking out the noise (criticism) but at the moment we just need some results on the field - that's the best way to silence all that."
Green said the solution to their woes was clear.
"Defence is the first thing. If we fix that up a lot of stuff will flow off the back of that," he said.
