Tongan wrecks Cowboy hopes
A POWERHOUSE display from Tevita Pangai has inspired Brisbane’s 29-10 NRL win over a battered and bruised North Queensland at a packed Suncorp Stadium.
The Tongan wrecking ball last night was a man on a mission, monstering the Cowboys to help open Brisbane’s winning account for the season in front of 45,023 fans.
North Queensland had no answer to Pangai’s heroics, especially after inspirational lock Jason Taumalolo suffered a knee injury early in the secondround clash. Taumalolo wasn’t given a chance to back up his phenomenal 301m effort in North Queensland’s first-round win over St George Illawarra, suffering a medial knee complaint in his first hit-up of the match.
He bravely battled on but did not return to the field in the second half.
In another worry for Cowboys coach Paul Green, winger Nene Macdonald and utility John Asiata also failed to finish the match with head knocks, forcing a backline reshuffle.
Pangai was relegated to the bench in Brisbane’s first-round loss to Melbourne after battling back from a hamstring injury.
But the livewire forward looked like he wanted to prove a point after being thrown a starting front-row berth by new coach Anthony Seibold, stepping up for the suspended Matt Lodge.
He played like a man possessed, pulling off hit after hit to leave North Queensland shell-shocked from the outset and also helped himself to a 47thminute try.
Centre James Roberts proved he was over a back injury that cut short his first-round clash, nabbing a try-scoring double along with winger Corey Oates.
The Broncos grabbed a 10-0 halftime lead before kicking on, with Oates scoring his 12th try in six games and Roberts helping himself to the eighth double of his career.
The Cowboys didn’t get on the board until former Bronco Jordan Kahu crashed over in the 60th minute, but it was not enough to stop the hosts claiming their seventh win in eight games against North Queensland at Suncorp Stadium. BRISBANE 29 (Oates 2, Pangai, Roberts 2, McCullough, tries, Isaako 2 goals, Milford field goal) d NORTH QUEENSLAND 10 (Kahu, O’Neill tries, Kahu goal) at Suncorp Stadium. Crowd: 45,023.