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The Sydney Roosters piled on 22 unanswered points in the second half to score a come-from-behind 32-20 NRL win over North Queensland at Dairy Farmers Stadium tonight.
Roosters halfback Mitchell Pearce scored a hat-trick of tries as the visitors inflicted the last-placed Cowboys’ 13th loss in a row.
The home crowd could sense an upset when their beleaguered team raced to a 20-10 halftime lead but the Roosters fought back strongly in the second half to win and move within two points of NRL leaders Manly.
The return of forward Luke O’Donnell from a lengthy suspension appeared to inspire the Cowboys in the first half, but the backrower was worryingly forced from the field late in the second with what looked a serious injury.
O’Donnell was one of four North Queensland try scorers in the first half with Dayne Weston, Mark Henry and Ty Williams also crossing.
Pearce and Mitchell Aubusson had scored for the Roosters to keep them in touch but it was the NSW halfback’s two tries just after halftime that did the real damage.
Pearce’s second came in the 46th minute on the back of an 85-metre bust started by Aubusson, with Amos Roberts combining with the No.7 to reduce North Queensland’s lead to four.
The former Australian schoolboy star then stole back the lead and completed his hat trick after 53 minutes when he regained a Braith Anasta chip to score next to the posts.
With the Cowboys running out of puff, Willie Mason crashed through some tired defence in the 72nd minute to extinguish any hopes of Cowboys comeback and Roberts capped a strong performance with a try in the final minute.
Roosters coach Brad Fittler admitted his side struggled to adapt to the conditions in Townsville.
“These are tough conditions up here it was hot North Queensland played some pretty good footy,” Fittler said.
“We weren’t doing a lot of things right in the first half but the other team looked a little bit more willing than we did.
“It was a bit disappointing from a point of view that I thought we had more to play for.”
Cowboys coach Ian Millward played down the injury scare to O’Donnell, saying the backrower was “fine”.
Millward believed referee Sean Hampstead’s decision to award a controversial play-the-ball penalty against O’Donnell early in the second-half halted his side’s charge.
“It was a major turning point in the game that penalty,” Millward said.
“We were really getting momentum their defence was scattered on the try line and it is a tough call.”
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