OUT OF MY WAY
Second half surge sees Cowboys down the Knights
GAVIN Cooper went from zero to hero last night as his partner-in-crime Johnathan Thurston refused to surrender to inspire the Cowboys’ 20-18 boilover of Newcastle in Townsville.
For 77 minutes, Cooper was having the worst game of his NRL career, making three shocking errors on a night where the Knights looked in control, leading 18-6 at halftime.
But ever the champion, Thurston would not wilt, hauling his side back into the contest as the embattled Cowboys produced a stunning fightback to keep the Knights scoreless in the second half.
Trailing 18-16 in the dying minutes, Thurston found Te Maire Martin with an inside ball and he released Cooper, who raced away to score the matchwinner and atone for his error-riddled match.
The victory keeps the Cowboys (12 competition points) slightly out of wooden spoon territory. Fittingly, Thurston was the ultimate competitor, having a hand in three tries and scoring one himself to snap the Cowboys’ fivegame losing streak.
On match eve, the Cowboys were buoyed by the return of key props Matt Scott and Jordan McLean.
It was supposed to inject mongrel and stiffen North Queensland’s midfield. It didn’t in the first half.
Before Scott could make an impact off the bench, the Cowboys were floundering, leaking two tries inside the opening seven minutes as Newcastle capitalised on feeble defensive efforts.
With the Cowboys facing another rout, it was fitting that the champion who has hauled them out of trouble so many times, Thurston, should ignite a second half fightback.
The Cowboys have lost a slew of close matches this season but this time Thurston would not be silenced.