TITANS SCHOOLED BY COWBOYS’ CHAMPS
MEN’S national touch football champions Cowboys showed their class in their first NRL Premiership clash against the Titans.
Despite the Titans taking an early lead in Saturday’s curtain raiser, the Cowboys outclassed their rivals to win 7- 4 in front of a big home crowd at 1300SMILES Stadium.
Cowboys captain Daniel Withers said there was no better place to get a win.
“It was awesome to get out there and rip in with the boys and get the points,” Withers told Touch Football Australia.
“The ( 1300SMILES Stadium) surface is absolutely incredible. A little bit faster than it usually is normally, so you were blowing pretty hard after a few minutes but you built into it nicely.
“We were a bit clunky in a few areas, so there’s definitely areas we will look to improve on but as a first round it was good, we ran pretty well.”
Titans captain Pete Norman was full of praise for the Cowboys side and said the Gold Coast could learn from North Queensland.
“The Cowboys, well deserved, they came out and showed why they won the last three in a row,” Norman said.
“We started really well, we scored the first two tries but they just showed their class and took their opportunities when it came and then when opportunities come our way in the second half we just couldn’t finish them.
“I guess that just shows why they’re the top of the table, the benchmark and we’ve still got a bit to go.”
The Cowboys women’s side was less fortunate, losing 5- 8.
Cowboys women’s player Rylie Seamark said more preparation would have helped, with the team – made up of players from as far as Brisbane – coming together the day before the game.
“It did take us a while to warm up and that probably comes from our preparation, we only got together yesterday ( Friday) so it took us a bit to get in the game,” Seamark said.
“But once we got there we were pretty dangerous.”
The Townsville local was lost for words playing on the Cowboys home ground.
“To be out here on the big stage at 1300SMILES, I don’t even know how to describe it, it’s awesome – I love it,” Seam-mark said.
With just one more before the grand final on July 29, the Cowboys women’s side have left it all to play for when they take on the Brisbane Broncos at Suncorp Stadium on June 30.