NORTH QUEENSLAND COWBOYS 38 ST GEORGE ILLAWARRA DRAGONS 32
CALLUM WALKER, Queensland Country Bank Stadium, Friday
TOM DEARDEN inspired North Queensland to a priceless victory over a St George side that almost clawed back a 16-point deficit.
Zac Laybutt and Dearden registered early tries to make it 12-0 after just ten minutes, but the Dragons hit back through Tyrell Sloan and Mathew Feagai to level the scores.
That was as good as it got for the Dragons in the first half, though, as three tries in seven minutes took the game away from the visitors.
First Coen Hess dotted down just after the half-hour before Scott Drinkwater and Jeremiah Nanai ensured the Cowboys finished at a canter going into the sheds.
But Shane Flanagan’s side rallied in the second half, Corey Allan, Sloan and Jacob Liddle bringing the Dragons back to within two points with 15 minutes remaining.
Dearden’s second of the night, alongside a Jaxon Purdue effort and Drinkwater’s conversion and a penalty, sent the Cowboys into an unassailable 38-26 lead.
The Dragons did have the last word through another Liddle four-pointer, but the hosts showed tremendous steel to withhold the earlier St George fightback.
COWBOYS: 1 Scott Drinkwater, 2 Robert Derby, 3 Jaxon Purdue, 4 Zac Laybutt, 5 Braidon Burns, 6 Tom Duffy, 7 Tom Dearden, 8 Harrison Edwards, 9 Reece Robson, 10 Griffin Neame, 11 John Bateman, 12 Jeremiah Nanai, 13 Reuben Cotter. Subs (all used): 14 Karl Lawton, 15 Kaiden Lahrs, 16 Kai O’Donnell, 17 Coen Hess
Tries: Laybutt (6), Dearden (11, 71), Hess (34), Drinkwater (39), Nanai (40), Purdue (76); Goals: Drinkwater 5/8
DRAGONS: 1 Clint Gutherson, 2 Tyrell Sloan, 3 Moses Suli, 4 Mathew Feagai, 5 Corey Allan, 6 Lyhkan King-Togia, 7 Kyle Flanagan, 10 David Klemmer, 9 Damien Cook, 15 Blake Lawrie, 11 Luciano Leilua, 12 Jaydn Su’a, 13 Jack De Belin. Subs (all used): 8 Emre Guler, 14 Jacob Liddle, 16 Hamish Stewart, 17 Michael Molo
Tries: Sloan (19, 59), Feagai (27), Allan (56), Liddle (65, 78); Goals: Flanagan 4/6
SCORING SEQUENCE: 6-0, 12-0, 12-6, 12-12, 18-12, 24-12, 28-12; 28-16, 28-20, 28-26, 32-26, 34-26, 38-26, 38-32
Rugby Leaguer & League Express Men of the Match
Cowboys: Tom Dearden; Dragons: Jacob Liddle
Penalty count: 5-10; Half-time: 28-12; Referee: Grant Atkins; Attendance: 16,020