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North Queensland have won their seventh match in a row with an 11 point win over the Brisbane Broncos in the Queensland derby on Friday night.
Two tries in the last 20 minutes, and a field goal to Lachlan Coote, was enough for the Cowboys to win after scores were deadlocked after 60 minutes.
After being down by 12 points early, the Cowboys would score 31 of the next 39 points in the match, to move into the top 2 on the ladder.
A hat-trick to Michael Morgan, gave him man of the match honours, and put him into calculations for the Queensland Maroons squad which will be announced at the end of the weekend.
In the early stages of the match though, it was all the Broncos, as they started well in the Queensland derby.
Two tries in the first 17 minutes gave the Broncos a 12 point lead, and it looked like Round 3 was going to happen again with the Broncos smashing the Cowboys.
Things would change dramatically though at the restart.
Adam Blair, after receiving the kick-off, would drop the ball cold and give the Cowboys a chance to score.
One minute later, the Cowboys would score, with Morgan using his strength to just get over the try line.
This turned the momentum towards the Cowboys and they leveled the match right before half time.
As Brisbane’s forwards tired towards the end of the half, Johnathan Thurston came into the game.
With five minutes to go in the half, he opted not to kick on the last tackle, and used the space created by the tiring Broncos players.
He would pass to Ethan Lowe who broke through the defence to score.
The Cowboys would then take the lead with a late penalty at the end of the half.
A 12 point deficit was now a 2 point lead with North Queensland leading 14-12.
Straight after half time, they extended the margin to 8 points, with a Gavin Cooper try.
The 2nd rower took a great mark from a Thurston kick and was able to get over the line.
From this moment though the momentum changed again.
A wonderful run from Milford, who sprinted past the Cowboys defence, set up Maranta for his second try of the night.
When Corey Parker scored a Broncos penalty from 35 metres out, scores were level with 28 minutes to go.
The momentum would change again as the Cowboys, buoyed on by a home crowd, started to control the game.
They would get three repeat sets, and tire the Brisbane defence, after multiple goal line drop outs with 20 minutes to go.
This pressure eventually yielded a result as Morgan scored his second try of the match with 11 minutes to go.
When Coote added the field goal with six minutes to go the Cowboys were virtually home as the Broncos needed to score twice in the final few minutes.
One late try to Morgan, which sealed his hat-trick, gave the Cowboys their seventh straight win and a big win heading into the State of Origin series.
It is the second time they have won 7 matches in a row in the history of the club.
The win was also their 200th in the NRL / Super League competition.
They now face the Tigers next week in Sydney.
For Brisbane their completion rate, and missed tackles, cost them dearly.
They missed 26 during the match compared to 10 to the Cowboys.
The Broncos now travel to Newcastle to take on the Knights next week.
The Brisbane Broncos will be looking to complete the double over the North Queensland Cowboys when they face off in Townsville tonight.
Join The Roar for live scores and commentary of the match from 7:35pm AEST.
Earlier in the season, in Round 3, the Broncos smashed the Cowboys by 22 points with a 44-22 victory. They raced to a 30-6 lead at half time and held on to give the Cowboys a 0-3 start to the year.
Since that match though, both teams have changed, and dominated the competition. The Cowboys have won six straight matches with the Broncos losing just once in their last eight matches.
This contest is between two of the in-form teams in the competition. It is also a match for bragging rights between the two Queensland teams.
With Origin around the corner, getting a win over your rival, could be vital in the shape of the season. Both of these teams will be depleted for the Origin series so getting points now is vital to cover for what could happen in that period.
It will also be a pivotal match for those pressing for selection for the first Origin match. This is the last game before the squads are announced and the last chance to impress Mal Meninga.
It is also critical players don’t get injured during the match.
The Cowboys are unchanged from the team that defeated the Bulldogs last Saturday night. Sam Hoare comes into the squad as the 18th man.
The Broncos have made just one change from the win against Penrith last week. Sam Thaiday returns from suspension at the expense of Josh McGuire who is now serving a one-week ban. On the bench Francis Molo replaces Joe Ofahengaue.
Tonight’s match is the 40th contest between the two teams with the Broncos dominating the head to head. They have won 27 out of 39 matches and have won 15 times away from home in Townsville.
In recent times, including Round 3, the ledger is even with 3 wins to Brisbane and 2 to the Cowboys in their last five contests. If the Cowboys want to reverse the result from earlier in the season then they will need to have a better completion rate and missed tackle rate.
Against Brisbane they completed only 70 per cent of sets and failed to complete 11 during the match. In tackles, they missed 34 out of 353.
Missing almost ten per cent of tackles in a match hands the contest to their opponents. The Cowboys will want to improve on that tonight.
Johnathan Thurston was also quiet that night and will be aiming to make amends for that against his rivals.
This contest is now a 50/50 match with the form the Cowboys are in. They have been devastating in the last few rounds.
Can they make it seven in a row tonight?
I predict they will and just record a victory over the Broncos.
PREDICTION – Cowboys by 2.
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