North Queensland have recorded four consecutive wins for the first time in five years after a comprehensive second-half performance powered them to a 36-16 NRL victory over Newcastle.
Down 16-12 at the break, the Cowboys scored four unanswered tries in the second spell as Chad Townsend played provider in Townsville on Saturday night.
Plagued by uncharacteristic errors in the first half, the Cowboys scored tries in back-to-back sets after halftime.
First Townsend dropped a speculative short kick on the 10m line for Murray Taulagi to race through and score.
Then the Cowboys were going nowhere on their next set before heads-up play by fullback Scott Drinkwater split the defence to find Valentine Holmes who combined with Taulagi to score.
In the 58th minute another Townsend kick was spilled by Enari Tuala and young gun Jeremiah Nanai was the beneficiary as he pounced and stepped two defenders to score the Cowboys’ fifth try.
Nanai’s impressive season continues at just 19 years of age, leading the competition in tries by a forward with seven.
Townsend then found a flying Heilum Luki who scored with six minutes to play as the Cowboys handed an improved Knights outfit their seventh consecutive loss.
Humiliated 50-2 by Melbourne last week, the Knights showed resolve an led at halftime thanks greatly to their halves Tex Hoy and Phoenix Crossland and skipper Kalyn Ponga.
Fullback Ponga had only three runs for 54 metres in the period but his involvement in the line gave his forwards the go-forward that had North Queensland’s defence stretched from end to end.
Completing at 89 per cent through 40 minutes the Knights found success in attack through six first-half offloads.
The Cowboys struck first two minutes in when they opened a left edge hole for Tom Dearden who powered to the line through tackles with momentum sliding him to the line.
Newcastle fired back when Drinkwater knocked on, and their 10m scrum play started with Ponga and ended with Dominic Young scoring on an overlap.
A barnstorming run by Jason Taumalolo in the 25th minute put the Cowboys just metres shy of the try-line, before Drinkwater’s cut-out pass found winger Kyle Feldt for his fourth try in three games.
But Newcastle then struck twice with a crafty Ponga grubber off the upright landing perfectly for Jacob Saifiti to score.
With 90 seconds left in the half some poor defensive discipline by the hosts gifted Newcastle deep territory and Hoy stepped two defenders before offloading to Chris Randall who scored.
On a sour note for Newcastle, they lost Jack Johns to a suspected broken arm in the second half as well as Edrick Lee to concussion after a brutal head knock.
© AAP
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