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North Queensland have won their eighth straight match in the NRL with an 8-0 win over the Wests Tigers at Campbelltown Stadium on Saturday night.
In a dour and ugly game, which saw no tries for 78 minutes, the Cowboys held on to move to the top of the ladder.
It is also their first win over the Tigers in Sydney since 2004.
In dewy conditions in Sydney, both teams struggled to complete sets, as errors came into the contest in the first 20 minutes.
Both teams also struggled without their regular stars in the match. Between them the Tigers and Cowboys had seven players out for the match through Origin.
Scoreless after 28 minutes, the Cowboys won a penalty, and opted to take the two points on offer, Ethan Lowe giving them a 2-0 lead.
That would be the score for the next 49 minutes of the match as both teams struggled to get over the other’s goal line.
The Tigers got the closest after a lovely chip and chase from Mitchell Moses was almost put over the line by Kevin Naiqama. Instead Naiqama knocked the ball, blowing the Tigers’ best chance.
Right at the end the Cowboys scored the only try of the game. A knock on from the Tigers, after a kick on the final tackle from the Cowboys, was put over the line by Antonio Winterstein. Lowe added the extra two with less than two minutes to go, and the game was over.
It was a good reward for a team that defended exceptionally well. The Cowboys shut out the Tigers for the second time in their history as a merger club and conceded 100 fewer metres to their opposition.
Without their stars, the Cowboys gritted out a strong win, and move to the top of the ladder. They face the Sea Eagles next week in Townsville, as they look to win nine straight matches.
The Tigers have the opportunity to regroup with the bye next week.
At the end of tonight’s match, one streak will be over, as the Wests Tigers take on the North Queensland Cowboys at Campbelltown Stadium. Join The Roar for live scores and a blog of the match from 7:30pm (AEST).
Tonight North Queensland put their seven game run on the line against a team they have struggled to beat in Sydney, the Cowboys having lost their last 11 matches to the Tigers in NSW.
The last win for the Cowboys in Sydney against the Tigers was in 2004. Of course the 11 matches include the famous 2005 grand final.
The Cowboys have the best chance to break that hoodoo after a club record run over the last seven weeks.
After starting the season 0-3, the Cowboys have won seven straight to move into the top four. This included an impressive 31-20 win over Brisbane last week, with the team coming back from 0-12 down in the early stage of the match.
Now they face the Tigers without their Origin stars.
Johnathan Thurston, James Tamou, Matt Scott, and now Michael Morgan, are all out for the Cowboys. Morgan was named for the clash against the Tigers, but an injury to Daly Cherry-Evans forced Mal Meninga to include him in the Maroons squad.
This potentially provides an opportunity for Robert Lui to press for a spot back in the team. He hasn’t played since the Round 2 clash against Newcastle.
The Cowboys have named Ray Thompson, Ben Hannant, and Sam Hoare as replacement for those playing Origin.
Morgan is still named but will be replaced.
Rory Kostjasyn, Glenn Hall, and Kelepi Tanginoa are on the bench.
For the Tigers they are also missing key players through Origin. Aaron Woods, and NSW captain Robbie Farah, are out for the Tigers with Dene Halatau and Matt Lodge replacing them.
Jack Buchanan, Delouise Hoeter, Brendan Santi, and Joel Luani have all been named on the bench.
This match looks to be one about which team can cope without their stars.
When you assess each team, the Tigers look to have covered their losses better than the Cowboys. The halves for the Cowboys, in particular, look severely depleted for the match.
In comparison the Tigers have retained their key halves combination. Farah will be a big loss at hooker but Thurston at half back looks to be a bigger one.
With the match also being in Sydney, and the Cowboys not playing well against the Tigers in NSW, it leans towards a Wests Tigers win.
The Cowboys have also not won eight in a row in their history, which is what they would do if they won today.
Prediction: Tigers to overcome the depleted Cowboys by 6 points.
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