Cowboys snap hoodoo as veteran scores hat-trick to sink Sharks to seventh loss: What we learned
The Cowboys overcame a horror injury toll to beat Cronulla 30-22 in Townsville on Saturday night as the Sharks resumed their freefall down the ladder.
North Queensland move into sixth on the ladder after snapping an 11-game regular season losing streak against Cronulla, which included thumping in their last three meetings.
MATCH CENTRE: Cowboys v Sharks scores, stats, video
Middle forward enforcers Reuben Cotter and Jason Taumalolo were both ruled out within the first quarter of the match on Saturday, leaving the Cowboys with a light interchange for the ensuing hour.
Rising Kiwis star Griffin Neame had to step up in their absence and he finished with a team-high 19 runs and 177m.
North Queensland played fast and clean, and a lack of errors helped the home side carry an eight-point lead into the sheds.
Braydon Trindall did his best to inspire a comeback when he did a Matildas impression by dribbling the ball over the try-line to score but the Cowboys were able to see out the result with Kyle Feldt completing his fifth career hat-trick.
Cronulla has now lost six of its last eight games and the team is in danger of dropping out of the top four.
Injuries have plagued the Sharks’ ability to consistently field the same lineup, but fans can take solace from their favourable run home which will see them take on just one other top eight side before finals.
Sharks coach Craig Fitzgibbon said his team was simply outmatched by a classy Cowboys team who have found their form..
“We made it bloody hard for ourselves. We expected a committed opponent tonight, the Paul Green Medal is a significant occasion for both clubs,” Fitzgibbon said.
“You can’t offer a team with that calibre of player that many opportunities or you’re going to pay, and we did.
Milestone man Jason Taumalolo had to leave the field inside the first 10 minutes of his 271st NRL game after a head clash left him with a suspected fractured cheekbone.
Things went from bad to worse 10 minutes later when Cowboys co-captain Reuben Cotter came off second-best from a sickening head-clash with Jesse Ramien, leaving the field with category 1 symptoms.
Those two failed HIAs allowed North Queensland to activate 18th man Jake Granville, allowing the Cowboys to keep three interchange players.
The NRL’s rule changed this year to allow teams to activate their 18th player after just two failed HIAs instead of three.
Cowboys coach Todd Payten said both forwards would almost certainly miss Thursday’s game with Wests.
“He (Cotter) has got a bump on his jaw but he’s as good as he can be,” Payten said.
“He won’t be playing next week with a five-game turn.
“Jase (Taumalolo) is in hospital getting his face and cheekbone fixed, so we’ll have to wait and see there.
Cronulla blooded two debutants in Townsville and both stood tall to make the most of their opportunities.
Rookie fullback Liam Ison, still 19, replaced suspended William Kennedy and didn’t look out of place in first grade, finding his feet after a dropped bomb to put in a respectable shift at the back.
Ison showed maturity beyond his year to finish with nine tackle breaks, a try assist and a linebreak assist.
The second Sharks debutant, 29-year-old Queenslander Jayden Berrell, came onto the interchange for Royce Hunt and was thrown into the action late in the first when Blayke Brailey was sin-binned for a professional foul.