Cowboys get title bid back on track

NORTH Queensland’s run to the 2015 grand final was almost over before it really began in the finals series after going down to age-old rivals the Brisbane Broncos at Suncorp.

While it was overshadowed by the eventual decider of the same season, the 16-12 win for the Broncos at Suncorp was just as good if not better.

Both sides played the game at 100 miles an hour from the opening whistle, and the momentum swung freely like a pendulum.

But the bullocking pace of the clash took it out of the Cowboys.

At full-time across the field players collapsed to the turf. The Cowboys had every excuse to not even turn up the following week.

But instead they would turn on a performance for the ages, and set the oval alight at 1300SMILES Stadium.

With the thoughts of the previous week and their self-professed underdog status fuelling them, the Cowboys turned it on in front of more than 20,000 raucous North Queenslanders.

And at the centre of it all was their warhorse prop, Matt Scott.

Scott was like a Sherman tank, with his soldiers marching behind their co-captain.

His first half was astounding (10 runs, 113m, four tackles busts) and included a 50m kick-off return that sent defenders reeling.

“We had lost against Brisbane away and came home to play the Sharks. We had been a bit patchy and that sort of game set a platform for the rest of the finals series in 2015 with a really strong win against the Sharks,” Scott told the Townsville Bulletin.

“It was hard to remember particulars. But I know we had a pretty aggressive mindset knowing what sort of footy the Sharks play.

“I think we just simplified things, my job was to just lead from the front with aggression and show everyone the way we wanted to play. I managed to do that on the night.”

Scott’s barnstorming effort put the Cowboys on the front foot, and much like they did for most of the 2015 season, the club turned that pressure into points.

Five-eighth Michael Morgan crossed the stripe first, then Justin O’neill and Scott Bolton, before Johnathan Thurston snapped a field goal to make it 19-0 at halftime.

The confidence was high in the home sheds and they came out with the Midas touch.

So much so, Thurston pulled out his now-famed tunnel ball try-assist for Kyle Feldt to cross in the corner.

The Cowboys would end up running in seven tries, including a double to Morgan as they ran away with a dominant 39-0 victory.

Thurston spoke to Cowboys inaugural captain Laurie Spina on the field after the game for ABC Grandstand, and told him it had been a chance for the Cowboys to give back to the fans who had shown them total and undying support through the season.

“They were outstanding our boys through the middle third,” he said on the night.

“We were disappointed with last week’s result. But it is good we can reward the fans who show up every week this year with a clinic in the semi-final.

“We have a great bunch of boys, there is good self belief. No matter where we go we will get the job done.”

The dominant performance was inspiring for the Cowboys, and while Sharks duo Paul Gallen and Michael Ennis gave them no chance, it would lift the side to a spirited performance against Melbourne Storm. In fact it was one of the driving forces all the way to the club’s inaugural premiership with the golden-point grand final win over the Broncos securing the title.

“It gave us a lot of belief, it certainly kickstarted our premiership campaign that year,” Scott said.