Shark mauling ends wild ride
NRL PRELIMINARY FINAL
THE Cowboys’ wild ride towards another NRL grand final ended at the hands of a fired-up Cronulla at Allianz Stadium last night. Sharks’ hero James Maloney got through a weary North Queensland defence for this try in the convincing 32-20 victory.
STOP the fight. North Queensland’s title defence is over.
The battle-weary Cowboys’ quest for back-to-back premierships officially collapsed last night as the Sharks qualified for their first grandfinal in 19 years with a 32-20 carveup at Allianz Stadium.
No team since the NRL’s inception has pulled off the title double and the Cowboys became the latest victim, suffering a bloody demise by their own hand. Granted, the Sharks, as fresh as pressed linen, were slick, powerful and energetic from the opening seconds.
But North Queensland will rue an error-riddled first-half implosion headlined by Lachlan Coote’s thirdminute gaffe which started the rot as the hungry Sharks ran riot.
Inspired by two-try pivot James Maloney, Cronulla surged to a 14-0 half-time lead and they went for the jugular after the break to deliver the bullet to the Cowboys’ brave title de- fence. The defeat continued the Cowboys’ Allianz nightmare, with the club having failed to win their past six matches there.
Before 36,717 fans, the Cowboys trailed from start to finish and were clearly mentally and physically battered by last week’s epic extra-time defeat of the Broncos.
The insipid Cowboys were towelled up in midfield, with key forward triumvirate Matt Scott, Jason Taumalolo and James Tamou all failing to register 100 metres.
North Queensland’s first-half featured more blunders than an episode of the Benny Hill Show.
The Cowboys made four gaffes alone in the opening 15 minutes as Cronulla turned the screws with a furious beginning.
Not even the Cowboys’ biggest stars were immune to the mediocrity. Fullback Coote, desperate to atone for last week’s nightmare against the Broncos, inexplicably spilled a Sharks clearing kick after just three minutes.