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A Johnathan Thurston masterclass has led the North Queensland Cowboys to an emphatic 36-0 win over the St George Illawarra Dragons in Townsville.
The Australian superstar showed glimpses of his 2015 form in setting up two tries and having a hand in another two, helping his side to an easy victory.
It wasn’t all smooth sailing for the home side, with the Dragons defence as staunch as ever for the first 20 minutes of the game, before Gavin Cooper crashed his way over from dummy half to get the scoring underway.
The Dragons had plenty of chances to hit back, but their attack looked pedestrian and uninspired at times, failing to capitalise on a number of golden opportunities. Thurston made them pay right on the stroke of halftime, finding Kyle Feldt with a kick to give the Cowboys a 12-0 advantage heading into the break.
They picked up where they left off in the second half, scoring four unanswered tries to take them to a perfect 3-0 record at home in 2016, including winning their last two by a combined score of 76-0.
The highlight of the Cowboys tries came in the 56th minute when Javid Bowen touched down after a brilliant set playing involving Thurston and fullback Lachlan Coote, who cut inside the defence and threw the last pass to the debutant.
Coote proved why he is one of the hottest players without a contract for 2017 with a strong performance, including a try assist and a dominant kicking game.
Ethan Lowe was the pick of the forwards, looking dangerous with every touch, including running for a game-high 182 metres to go along with a team-high 35 tackles.
It was a game to forget for the visitors, with the combination of Gareth Widdop and Benji Marshall looking like they were on completely different pages at times.
The win improves the Cowboys record to 3-2, putting them in third on the ladder, whilst the Dragons winning streak comes to an end as they slip to twelfth.
The Cowboys travel to Penrith next Saturday night to take on the Panthers, whilst the Dragons have a short turnaround when they head to Suncorp Stadium to play the Broncos.
Final score
Cowboys 36
Dragons 0
The North Queensland Cowboys are looking to bounce back from a heartbreaking loss when they host a St George Illawarra Dragons side coming off back-to-back wins. Join The Roar for live scores and coverage of the match from 7:30pm (AEDT).
North Queensland went agonisingly close to coming away with a comeback win against rivals Brisbane last round.
They led with just minutes to play in regular time, and squandered chances in golden point to give Anthony Milford the opportunity to win the game, which he did with a stellar field goal.
They shouldn’t be too dejected however, as they came back from a ten-point deficit to take the lead, and played in what could very well go down as the best match of the regular season. There was a lot to be impressed with from the defending premiers.
St George Illawarra are somehow coming off consecutive wins, following their dour win over the Rabbitohs in the wet at the SCG, and Trent Merrin’s kick-off blunder handing them a chance at the death to steal a win against the Panthers, which they took with open arms.
While a case could be made that the Dragons should be 0-4, the fact of the matter is they’ve managed to get the job done at the business end of games, something which a lot of teams in the NRL struggle to do.
They’ll face stiff opposition on the road this week however, and they’ll have to overturn some pretty daunting stats if they’re to win their third game of the year. They’ve made just eight line breaks this season – ten fewer than the Cowboys – and they’ve also run 700 fewer metres than their northern opponents.
It’s no secret that the Dragons and free-flowing football don’t go hand in hand, so they’ll look to get in an arm wrestle, with a lot of negative play expected. They lack creativity with the ball (71 dummy half runs compared to the Cowboys’ 21), so look for the Dragons to back their defence to get them over the line.
North Queensland will be in a bit of a mood following the circumstances of their defeat to Brisbane, ruing the fact that they let that game slip through their fingers. You can see them taking out that frustration on the Dragons, who will be hard pressed to bust through the Cowboys’ defensive line.
Prediction
The Cowboys will be too strong for a Dragons side which has used up all their luck in the previous two games.
Cowboys by 18.
Join The Roar from 7:30pm (AEDT) for score updates and analysis in our live blog.
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