Upsets keep coming in the NRL with the Warriors coming away from Townsville with the scalp of the Cowboys in one of the biggest surprise results of the first three rounds.
The Warriors, who won on home soil over Newcastle and then gave the Roosters a run for their money last week, improved to 2-1 with an all-round professional display at QCB Stadium to run out 26-12 winners.
Under new coach Andrew Webster they have eradicated the hot and cold inconsistency which has been their unfortunate hallmark in recent seasons.
North Queensland were missing suspended duo Scott Drinkwater and Peta Hiku but after scoring the first try of the match, they were outclassed by a hungrier visiting side.
CLICK HERE for a seven-day free trial for your favourite sport on KAYO
Warriors big improvers under Webster
Webster’s signing as coach didn’t make many headlines but the former Panthers assistant has done a remarkable job transforming the Warriors in a short space of time.
Tohu Harris is tackled. (Photo by Ian Hitchcock/Getty Images)
They have undergone plenty of roster turnover in the off-season and there were plenty of critics suggesting they would be wooden spoon contenders this year.
One of their much-maligned recruits, former Knights forward Mitch Barnett stood tall for them in Townsville before an injury ended his involvement late in the second half after 14 hit-ups for 135 running metres, a rare line break assist and 16 crunching tackles.
They conceded the first try when debutant fullback Tom Chester touched down and after Warriors hooker Wayde Egan and opposite number Reece Robson traded tries, the home side was up 12-4.
Marcelo Montoya scored the first of his two four-pointers before tries to veteran lock Jazz Tevaga, in his first appearance for the year after off-season surgeries, and winger Edward Kosi seven minutes either side of half-time put the Warriors up 22-12.
When Montoya dived over in the corner off a delightfully delayed Te Maire Martin pass midway through the second half, the Warriors led by 14 to leave the Cowboys fans stunned in silence.
“There were three or four efforts there at the end of the game where we could have just let them score and still won the game,” Webster said. “But we kept turning up for one another, we were desperate on our try line.”
Martin, who conjured up three line break assists with two of them leading to tries, could turn out to be one of the low-key signings of 2023 while his halves partner, Shaun Johnson, is showing there’s still life left in the veteran playmaker’s legs.
The win ended a 13-game losing streak in Australia and was their first victory in Queensland’s north since 2018.
Cowboys believing their own press
There’s no denying it – the Cowboys look like a team that thought they would be title contenders this year.
But they also look like a side that is expecting it to happen rather than making it happen.
They had a lot of players enjoying breakout seasons in 2022 and based on their form over the past fortnight, they seem to have a collective second-year syndrome holding them back.
North Queensland, who stormed from 15th to a preliminary final last year, started the opening round with a bang a fortnight ago, scoring three unanswered converted tries before hanging on 19-18 at home to beat Canberra.
Since then they have been outplayed by the Broncos in Brisbane and now upset by the Warriors.
“There is something wrong with the Cowboys at the moment. They’ve made a great start to all three matches but only won one of them and that was by a point against the Raiders,” former international Greg Alexander said on Fox League commentary.
His fellow former Kangaroos halfback, Cooper Cronk agreed: “They’re best performance in Australia for a long, long time. They defended like their lives depended on it and I loved the connection they had in attack. They scored some scintillating tries.”
Cowboys coach Todd Payten is renowned for being a straight shooter and it wouldn’t surprise if he makes a few changes before next Saturday’s stoush with Gold Coast to put a few egos in check.
“I’m disappointed because the three parts you need to get right, we haven’t ticked one of those,” he said.
“Our ball control is not good enough, our discipline is not good enough, marching the opposition out of their own end. And if those two aren’t right, you’ve got to scramble and fight hard and defend your line and we’re conceding far too many points. We are not giving ourselves an opportunity to win the game.
“Some of our senior blokes need to be better, handling pressure. We’re just applying it to ourselves.”
Cowboys captain Chad Townsend said he didn’t think complacency was an issue: “We’re not getting our jobs done for the full 80 minutes. It’s a bit of accountability individually for all of us to get our jobs done for longer periods.”
jimmmy
Roar Rookie
I love Tommy but apart from the odd short attacking kick he should not be doing any other kicking at all.
jimmmy
Roar Rookie
I think all that is correct but will add one thing. We are losing the ruck almost every tackle. I'm positive this is contributing to the easy yards conceded. Last year we often lost the ruck but our line speed was superb . Lose the ruck and have slow line speed as well and it's a disaster.
NQR
Roar Rookie
Don’t bother watching Jimmmy. I knew they were in trouble about 20min in with Dearden kicking out on the full? Tommy has some serious issues around kicking a football. It’s inexcusable gifting field position especially when leading and with zero pressure on your kick coming out of your end. The fact Chester, Deaden and Shibaski ran over 150m whilst Hess and Nanai only managed 100m between them was indicative of the lacklustre performance also. Taulagi ran 190m but didn’t make a tackle? It was certainly a weird game and extremely frustrating as a Cowboys fan to watch. They played awful football after the first 20min. I’m wondering if the heat is taking a toll on their energy levels? Seems crazy to be playing afternoon games in NQ in March?
Muzz Manyana
Roar Rookie
I haven’t seen the Warriors look that hungry for a very long time. Their scramble D was exceptional.
NQR
Roar Rookie
Really professional performance by the Warriors. They looked fit and certainly handled the conditions much better than the Cowboys.
3 R M
Roar Rookie
The lack of line speed in defence for NQ is gifting our opposition the transition then the set. The warriors were constantly taking 50m+ sets up the field to kick to the corners or attack the line. Same with the games against Canberra and Brisbane but this game we had no line speed all game, the 74 m set from the warriors underlining how poor we were at this. We were always going to miss Drinky he is worth a try a game either scoring or setting one up. But we aren't earning the rite to go wide when we are in the red zone if we can actually get there. Because we haven't won field position because our line speed is poor we start most of our sets in our red zone. It was great to see Luki back he is elite and it showed when he came on and straightened the attack. Even though the bench isn't the real problem we have Dunny coming back and he is a ballplayer and has good line speed And Sadrugu who offers offloads and the ability to get a 'loose carry' out of the opposition so there we have the ability there to change it up with the bench. If we stop giving away 50m sets we have a chance at the top 8 if we don't then every team we play will take the free meters and put us on the rack.
Red Rob
Roar Rookie
Sorry mate didn’t realise the time of posting :stoked:
Forty Twenty
Roar Rookie
It would be unreal to see the Warriors make the 8 and have a good year. I've been claiming for the last few years that any team in the NRL can make the top 8 if they play to their potential and this season is showing that the much touted divide between the top and bottom teams isn't as great as it appeared. Early days of course and things will change again but my point was always that the bottom teams weren't as bad as they looked , roster wise, but they were not aiming up. The top teams adapted to the new rules better it seems but any team which puts in a big and smart effort in defence is hard to beat. The lack of expectations on the Warriors is probably helping their cause as well.
jimmmy
Roar Rookie
Haven't watched the second half but the Cows have been very average so far this year. I thought we were good against the Broncs in patches ( but outplayed overall ) . I thought we let the Raiders back into the game way too easily in round 1 and I thought our ball control and defence were poor in h1 against the Warriors. We are heading back towards conceding 30 points a game . Its a strange old world.
GB
Roar Rookie
I was looking at competition points and points differential as of the time posting. So the Papi Ladder. Given the late flood of tries to the Broncos I'm surprised that changed following my comment. Who would have thought that (on the Papi Live Ladder) after 3 rounds the inaugural 'Battle of Brisbane' would be between the top 2 ranked teams?
Red Rob
Roar Rookie
What ladder is that? Broncos are undefeated and these 2 ladders have then #1 with Dragons at 7 or 8. https://www.nrl.com/ladder/?competition=111&round=3&season=2023 https://www.foxsports.com.au/nrl/nrl-premiership/ladder
Red Rob
Roar Rookie
I'm sure plenty of Aus fans are wishing the Warriors a good year. Didn't go unnoticed the sacrifices they made to remain part of the comp during covid.
Pilferer
Roar Rookie
First time in years I've felt comfortable with our lead . Great composure and held them scoreless from the 10th minute. Most pleasing was defending mistakes. Really good win with some good players missing. Hope Eagan is ok that was scary watching him leave the field
Choppy Zezers
Roar Rookie
Totally deserve it, Dawn. The warriors are playing with some real patience and focus this year. They dont get flustered when they are behind. They use the ball well and look fit. Hope you guys have a great year. Dunno much about Andrew Webster but he must be a genius. Hes doing a fantastic job.
WithTheDawn
Roar Rookie
Enjoyed that one as a Warriors fan, been awhile since such a satisfying victory.
GB
Roar Rookie
Looking at the NRL Live Ladder the top 6 are; 1. Dolphins, 2. Manly, 3. Dragons, 4. Warriors, 5. Broncos, 6. Titans. . I’m thinking of the title of that old movie, “It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World!”