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Cowboys
24
Match Complete
Dragons
12
| 79 |  | G. Widdop | ||
| 78 |  | J. Pereira | ||
| J. Kahu | | 77 | ||
| J. O'Neill | | 75 | ||
| J. Kahu | | 67 | ||
| T. M. Martin | | 66 | ||
| M. Morgan | | 56 | ||
| N. Macdonald | | 38 | ||
| J. Bowen | | 32 | ||
| 12 | | G. Widdop | ||
| 11 | | E. Aitken |
| 5 | Tries | 2 | ||
| 2 | Conversions | 2 | ||
| 0 | Penalty Goals | 0 | ||
| 0 | Field Goals | 0 |
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Jason Taumalolo has confirmed his superhuman status with a staggering 301 running metres from 64 minutes as he led the Cowboys to a 24-12 win over the Dragons at 1300Smiles Stadium.
Without Johnathan Thurston all eyes were on newly appointed captain Michael Morgan to see if he was the man to lead the Cowboys into foreign territory without their spiritual leader.
And Morgan stepped up in the second half along with Taumalolo to inspire his troops to victory, ending with two try-assists, a try and 445 kicking metres.
North Queensland were clunky in attack early, guilty too often of going sideways and lacking the precision their set plays had with the maestro Thurston at the helm.
But they managed to take an 8-6 lead into the break off the back of dominant field position, with both Javid Bowen and Nene Macdonald flying over out wide.
On the whole, Corey Norman was impressive in his first outing for the Dragons, taking charge of the kicking duties.
The 28-year old’s biggest highlight came in the 10th minute though when he burst through off a North Queensland error and off the back of his break Euan Aitken crossed over out wide for the Dragons’ first try of the night.
Paul McGregor’s men had done well to turn the Cowboys away on multiple occasions in the first forty, but they couldn’t replicate that same resilience in the later stages of the game as the home side ran away comfortable winners.
The first try came off a lovely offload from John Asiata, which saw Morgan steam over to break the game open.
Te Maire Martin then all but sealed the win in the 65th minute when he trailed a charging Taumalolo all the way to the try line.
Morgan then sent O’Neill over late off a well-weighted grubber before a late consolation try to Jordan Pereira cut the deficit to 12.
Final score
North Queensland Cowboys 24
St George Illawarra Dragons 12
While the well-documented off season from hell had a far-reaching impact on all clubs involved in the NRL, the North Queensland Cowboys and St George Illawarra Dragons have suffered the most. Join The Roar for live scores and a blog of the match, starting at 7:35pm (AEST) as both sides eagerly look to put the dramas behind them.
The Cowboys’ preparations for the 2019 season were disrupted by the devastating floods that inundated Townsville in February.
It left them searching for dry ground to train on as the focus was temporarily shifted away from football and to the playing group’s wellbeing.
However, if the Townsville community’s attitude to the natural disaster is anything to go by, the floods may have brought Paul Green’s men even closer together as they look to start a new era without club stalwart Johnathan Thurston.
Veterans Antonio Winterstein, Kane Linnett, Lachlan Coote and Ethan Lowe have also departed, replaced by the likes of Jordan Kahu, Josh McGuire, Nene Macdonald and Tom Opacic.
The arrival of 2012 Dally M winner Ben Barba was meant to bolster their new-look backline but the 29-year old was dumped by the club and eventually deregistered by the NRL after an alleged altercation with his girlfriend.
It was a massive blow as his speed and creative flair were pinpointed as the solution to the team’s predictablity in attack.
Kahu’s signing helps fill the void left by Barba but it means that even more pressure will be heaped on recently-appointed captain Michael Morgan to step up.
North Queensland’s woes last year were also attributed to their underperforming forward pack, which, on paper, was the best in the league.
Both Matt Scott and Jordan McLean missed a fair chunk of the 2018 season but no injuries heading into Saturday night’s clash means no excuses this time.
They come up against one of the competition’s other premier packs, albeit weakened by the standing down of lock Jack de Belin. Like the Cowboys, St George Illawarra lost a key player from the spate of off-field incidents.
Hard-hitting edge forward Tyson Frizell will make the switch to the middle in place of de Belin while Jacob Host has been rewarded with the vacant starting spot.
While not ideal, the Dragons have the depth up front to cover de Belin’s loss and the sooner they post their first win of the year, the sooner they can move past the drama and focus on contesting for the premiership.
In other team news, Fijian Mikaele Ravalawa makes his first-grade debut on the flank as Zac Lomax misses out, with trial form suggesting the young gun is far better suited as a centre than fill-in winger.
Corey Norman also makes his club debut at five-eighth while Gareth Widdop reverts to fullback. The success of the move, however, relies on whether Ben Hunt can take control with Norman more effective as a roaming playmaker.
Prediction
When a team is embroiled in an off-field scandal, it can go one of two ways. They are either galvanised to silence the outside noise or distracted by it.
The Dragons should fall into the former, with the opening round presenting them with the perfect chance to prove they have the mental toughness to go all the way in 2019.
Dragons by eight.
Join The Roar for live scores and a blog of the match, starting at 5:45pm (AEST).
Kick-off: 7:35pm (AEDT)
Venue: 1300Smiles Stadium
TV: Live, Fox League
Online: Foxtel Go, Foxtel Now
Betting: Cowboys $1.80, Dragons $2.00
Overall record: Played 30; Cowboys 15, Dragons 15
Referee: Ben Cummins, Ziggy Przeklasa-Adamski
Cowboys
1. Jordan Kahu 2. Javid Bowen 3. Justin O’Neill 4. Tom Opacic 5. Nene Macdonald 6. Te Maire Martin 7. Michael Morgan 8. Matt Scott 9. Jake Granville 10. Jordan McLean 11. Gavin Cooper 12. Coen Hess 13. Jason Taumalolo 14. John Asiata 15. Josh McGuire 16. Mitchell Dunn 17. Francis Molo 18. Ben Hampton 19. Jake Clifford 20. Gideon Gela-Mosby 23. Enari Tuala
Dragons
1. Gareth Widdop 2. Jordan Pereira 3. Euan Aitken 4. Timoteo Lafai 5. Mikaele Ravalawa 6. Corey Norman 7. Ben Hunt 8. James Graham 9. Cameron McInnes 10. Paul Vaughan 11. Jacob Host 12. Tariq Sims 13. Tyson Frizell 14. Jeremy Latimore 15. Matthew Dufty 16. Blake Lawrie 17. Luciano Leilua 18. Zac Lomax 19. Josh Kerr 20. Reece Robson 21. Jonus Pearson
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