Roar Guru
The North Queensland Cowboys have cemented their premiership credentials with a big win against the Parramatta Eels on Monday night.
Eight tries to the Cowboys, with the sharp-shooting Johnathan Thurston converting seven saw the home side rack up a mammoth total of 46 points, while the Eels managed just the single try to Reece Robinson.
Final Score:
Cowboys 46
Eels 4
Speaking post-match Parramatta coach Brad Arthur was disappointed in the final scoreline and said it was an unfair reflection of the match.
“I don’t think we were that bad and I don’t think they were that good,” he said.
“When you only have 35 per cent possession it’s just hard to keep defending and defending against such a class outfit.
“They tried hard. But we’re not happy with the end result.”
Cowboys coach Paul Green was pleased at notching up the club’s biggest win of the season but conceded it was not without fault.
“It probably took us a bit longer than we would have liked to really get into the groove,” he said.
“But once we did, I was pretty happy with how we played.”
With AAP
It was all smiles for the Cowboys on Monday night:
Winning cuddles.
#NRLCowboysEels
#NRL pic.twitter.com/ehk1GKgWb1
— NRL (@NRL) July 27, 2015
The Cowboys are looking good for a serious tilt at a premiership in 2015, and their next task in the push for a top two finish is the struggling Eels. Join The Roar for live scores and commentary from 7:00pm (AEST).
North Queensland have been threatening to go all the way for a few seasons now, but it seems like 2015 may finally be the year that they put it all together. Johnathan Thurston has this team clicking on all cylinders right now, and it doesn’t look like anyone will stop them at their current form.
A strong win over Manly at Brookvale last weekend pushed their top four credentials, but the Cowboys still have much bigger fish to fry. A big win over the Eels would not only keep the pressure on the competition-leading Broncos, but it would maintain a two-game lead on the third place Roosters.
Parramatta have been a team in turmoil this year, and this is displayed by their 11th position on the NRL ladder. They’ve just granted an immediate release to halfback Chris Sandow, and the news that both Anthony Watmough and Danny Wicks are out for the season has all but ended Parramatta’s finals chances. However, a surprise win over the Cowboys would put the Eels firmly back in finals contention, and they’ll be looking for revenge after their Round 13 capitulation against the same squad.
North Queensland have one massive in for this game, as James Tamou returns from his Origin suspension. Ben Hannant will return to the bench, meaning that Sam Hoare is named in the 18 jersey. Matt Scott and Matthew Wright both had injury clouds over them this weekend, but they both look set to play.
The Eels have made numerous changes for this game. Reece Robinson returns from a broken cheekbone at fullback, replacing the injured Corey Norman. Joseph Paulo will move into the halves, while Luke Kelly replaces the suspended and released Chris Sandow. David Gower replaces Anthony Watmough at lock, while Daniel Alvaro comes onto the bench for Danny Wicks. Isaac De Gois also takes his spot on the bench, with Cody Nelson named in the 18 jersey.
Prediction
This could be a bloodbath. North Queensland looked very good last weekend, and the return of James Tamou should see them get even better. Parramatta will be happy to escape with anything less than a 20-point loss.
Cowboys by 26