Broncos buck Cowboys with first half blitz

Brisbane racked up a much needed 32-18 victory over the Cowboys in Townsville tonight after a four try first half proved too much for the fast finishing Cowboys.

In front of a bumper crowd at Dairy Farmers Stadium, the Broncos could not have asked for a better start with a four pointer to Kaine Manihera in the third minute. The Broncos looked by far the superior side compared to the sluggish Cowboys. Their apparent superiority was confirmed with three more tries in the half, including a double to Origin star Sam Thaiday. Michael Ennis, Karmichael Hunt and Peter Wallace showed that the future of the Broncos remains bright with their unselfish, uncompromising and scheming play throughout.

A cricket score looked likely unless something drastic happened, and quickly. Luckily for the Cowboys, half time was just the tonic they needed and it was a completely different side that started the second half. All of a sudden the Broncos were back pedalling and the metres became all too easy for the Cowboys forwards. This was despite the loss of Ash Graham to a dislocated shoulder early in the half.

Two tries in quick succession had Dairy Farmers rocking and when Dayne Weston appeared on the end of an Aaron Payne pass, it looked like a third until he knocked on in the act of placing the ball. This proved to be the turning point of the match, with the Broncos - through Lockyer