Resilient Townsend bounces back at Sharks

Calls were made for Chad Townsend's head late last month, but he's bounced back to be Cronulla's best in their NRL win over North Queensland on the weekend.

Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks player Chad Townsend

Chad Townsend has bounced back to be Cronulla's best in their NRL win over North Queensland. (AAP)

Before Saturday night, Chad Townsend hadn't made a dent on any of his social media pages since the morning of Cronulla's round-20 loss to Brisbane.

And that's not by coincidence.

The villain of the Sharks' loss against the Broncos, Townsend's performance was met with calls for his head.

But Townsend - who was his own harshest critic that night - didn't hear a bar of it.

"To be honest I didn't, I shut it out," he told AAP.

"Got off social media for a few weeks. I just focus on what I can control, I can't control what other people do or say.

"I mean I probably put that game down to two bad kicks I had. I can't do anything about it now. It's what I can do going forward.

"My job is to go out on the field and produce the best footy I can. I pride myself on competing hard."

Townsend is renowned for his resilience and he's needed it this year.

The underrated half has been forced to play with three separate fullbacks this season while Matt Moylan's kicking game is still developing at five-eighth since the swap with James Maloney.

The absence of Wade Graham has also presented a challenge on the left edge, given he adds another kicking and organisational option on the left edge.

Townsend's performances have also been critiqued perhaps more than at any other point in his career, with youngster Kyle Flanagan - the son of coach Shane - waiting in the wings.

Not that it's worried the unflappable 27-year-old.

"Some days you have those days," he said.

"It's how you bounce back and I always want to make sure I bounce back in a positive way."

Townsend was the Sharks' best in Saturday's win over the Cowboys, stealing the show in Johnathan Thurston's Sydney farewell.

He set up one try and chased hard on a towering Moylan bomb to force an error in the lead up to his own four-pointer early in the second half.

"Even though this week we won and I scored a try, it's what's next," he said.

"Block out everything that's happened. The people who put you down will be the people who will pick you up as well.

"So you've got to block that stuff out as an athlete in your career. Because you have those days, you have good and bad days, it's about what's next."


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Source: AAP


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