Cowboys defeat Bulldogs in battle of the spoon

The North Queensland Cowboys have moved one step away from the dreaded wooden spoon with a comprehensive 36-12 win over the Canterbury Bulldogs in front of a small Suncorp Stadium crowd.

The Cowboys produced some enterprising footy to break their thirteen game losing streak and secure only their fourth win of the season. On the other hand, poor ball handling and a lack of discipline cost the Bulldogs dearly.

North Queensland got off to a dream start when rampaging front rower Carl Webb barged his way over the line in the third minute.

The Cowboys increased their lead to 8-0 thanks to a try from winger Ty Williams, who showed great hands to pick up a Sione Faumuina chip kick and dive over in the corner.

Canterbury continued to shoot themselves in the foot with basic errors and penalties and they were made to pay in the 27th minute when Ray Cashmere crashed over. John Williams slotted his first successful conversion of the evening to give his side a 14-0 advantage.

The Cowboys should have led by more at the end of the first stanza if not for a controversial double movement ruling against halfback Travis Burns.

However, to their credit, the Bulldogs posted the opening try of the second half to exciting rookie Ben Barba. The young fullback used some brilliant footwork to get past Ashley Graham, showing he