NORTH QUEENSLAND COWBOYS 18 BRISBANE BRONCOS 10
TOM SMITH, Queensland Country Bank Stadium, Saturday
NORTH QUEENSLAND overcame the loss of Tom Dearden and Reed Mahoney to overcome local rivals Brisbane at a sold-out Queensland Country Bank Stadium.
This frantic derby ended two tries apiece but Scott Drinkwater’s flawless goal-kicking – including three penalty-goals – proved the difference.
With Dearden out with an ankle complaint and Mahoney lasting just seven minutes due to a head-injury assessment, the Cowboys dug deep against the reigning premiers, with Reuben Cotter and Jason Taumalolo leading the way in the middle.
The win leaves up-and-down North Queensland inside the top eight for another week.
Brisbane headed to Townsville on the end of their first win since April nine days earlier – to a venue they enjoy, having won on their past three visits – but couldn’t make it two in a row to keep their faint finals hopes alive, despite Ezra Mam’s best efforts.
The Cowboys welcomed back captain Dearden in the loss to the Dolphins last Sunday, but lost him again to an ankle injury.
Jaxon Purdue shuffled from centre to halfback, with Zac Laybutt coming off the bench into the back line. Griffin Neame also replaced Thomas Mikaele in the starting line-up late.
The Broncos snapped their eight-game losing streak with a stunning upset of Penrith in Round 20, and they got another boost with Billy Walters named to line up for his first game of the year following an ACL lay-off.
However, second-rower Brendan Piakura dropped out with concussion.
The Cowboys almost dumped Preston Riki into his own in-goal with the first carry of the game – a portent of the intensity to come.
The Bunker denied Jordan Riki the opening try thanks to an obstruction by Preston Riki, before Mahoney succumbed to his head knock in the bruising early exchanges.
The outstanding Heilum Luki eventually tallied the first points after 20 minutes, snaffling a deft Purdue kick on the end of a signature Taumalolo charge.
But Brisbane hit back almost immediately in near identical fashion, as Xavier Willison pounced on a Mam grubber.
Gehamat Shibasaki spilled another Mam kick that would’ve put the visitors in front, then the hosts’ cover defence reeled in the live-wire stand-off just metres from the whitewash.
Instead, an escort penalty on kick chaser Jeremiah Nanai handed Drinkwater two points.
And on the stroke of half-time, the creative fullback fired a brilliant ball to release Braidon Burns down the left flank. The winger steamrolled Reece Walsh and found Jake Clifford inside to make it 14-4 at the break.
A penalty against Kotoni Staggs for collecting Laybutt in the air handed Drinkwater another two points after 50 minutes.
But it wasn’t long before Walsh and Mam combined from close range to send the number six steaming over, and Adam Reynolds’ conversion shaved the margin to six.
An unlucky bounce off a Deine Mariner kick cost Mam what would’ve been a contender for try of the season.
Instead, a short drop-out penalty invited Drinkwater to extend North Queensland’s buffer to eight, which proved enough to secure the two competition points.
GAMESTAR: Cowboys captain Reuben Cotter claimed the Carl Webb Medal for his whole-hearted 73-minute shift in the middle.
GAMEBREAKER: Scott Drinkwater’s third penalty-goal with twelve minutes remaining gave North Queensland enough points to defend.
MATCHFACTS
COWBOYS
1 Scott Drinkwater
2 Braidon Burns
4 Tom Chester
18 Zac Laybutt
5 Murray Taulagi
6 Jake Clifford
3 Jaxon Purdue
10 Jason Taumalolo
9 Reed Mahoney
15 Griffin Neame
11 Heilum Luki
12 Jeremiah Nanai
13 Reuben Cotter
Subs
8 Thomas Mikaele
14 Soni Luke
16 Matthew Lodge
17 Coen Hess
19 Ethan King (not used)
20 Sam McIntyre (not used)
Tries: Luki (20), Clifford (40)
Goals: Drinkwater 5/5
BRONCOS
1 Reece Walsh
2 Josiah Karapani
3 Kotoni Staggs
4 Gehamat Shibasaki
5 Deine Mariner
6 Ezra Mam
7 Adam Reynolds
8 Preston Riki
9 Cory Paix
10 Payne Haas
11 Xavier Willison
12 Jordan Riki
13 Patrick Carrigan
Subs
14 Ben Hunt
15 Ben Talty
16 Va’a Semu
17 Grant Anderson (not used)
18 Billy Walters
19 Luke Gale (not used)
Tries: Willison (24), Mam (55)
Goals: Reynolds 1/2
SCORING SEQUENCE: 6-0, 6-4, 8-4, 14-4; 16-4, 16-10, 18-10
Rugby Leaguer & League Express Men of the Match
Cowboys: Reuben Cotter; Broncos: Ezra Mam
Penalty count: 7-5
Half-time: 14-4
Referee: Tyson Brough
Attendance: 25,461