SCRUM STORM - Holmes gets away down the left side and then passes to where Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow used to be and the pass goes into touch
SCRUM COWBOYS - Bromwich drops the ball.
Captains Challenge looking at whether Bromwich lost the ball or whether it was stripped.
SCRUM COWBOYS - Hughes storms onto a pass and gets belted by Clifford, forcing him to drop the ball.
7 tackle set for the Storm after the Cowboys kick downtown goes dead
Someone just made a tackle.
Holmes converts from touch
And just like that, the Cowboys hit back. Holmes gets the ball on the left side, dummies to his winger, steps inside, and shrugs off Munster to score.
Smith from almost in front adds another 2 points
Smith gets a pass to the trailing Jesse Bromwich who gets a ball to Hughes in support, who hit a gap at pace and scores to the right of the posts.
STORM SET RESTART - Storm get another set on the Cowboys line
Munster runs on the 4th and very nearly scores.
STORM SET RESTART - now they have a full set inside the Cowboys red zone
Holmes from the right sideline hooks it across the face of the posts
Drinkwater kicks early after spotting JAC was out of position. Feldt leaps, takes the ball cleanly and he gets the ball down for a good try.
PENALTY COWBOYS - From the scrum, the Cowboys swing the ball to the left to Holmes, who goes to the line, draws the winger and then passes to Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow who dives for the corner and plants the ball just on the sideline. Hughes is then penalised for being offside
Bunker time
SCRUM COWBOYS - sets 10m from the Storm line
Clifford on the last nails a 40/20. Cowboys take the tap
Holmes from right in front makes no mistake
Marsters gets outside his man on the left side, dummied to his winger and then splits the two Storm defenders, shrugs off the tackle attempt by Vunivalu and scores under the posts.
PENALTY COWBOYS - Cameron Smith denied a try as Hughes was ruled to be offside and interfering in the play.
SCRUM STORM - Feldt loses the ball in a tackle
SCRUM STORM - Holmes with a quick tip on, but it beats Feldt and goes into touch
Cowboys get a fresh set inside the Storm red zone
SCRUM SHARKS - They feed it 15m from their own line
Smith from almost in front bangs another over
Munster receives the ball back on the inside, steps and then hurdles over a defender lying on the ground and he gets across the line to score near the sticks.
STORM SET RESTART (x2) - They'll get a full set inside the Cowboys half
And we're back!
Hughes just strolled through the Cowboys left side defence, linked with Smith who quickly dumped a pass to Hynes who got tackled by the cover defence and that's the end of the half.
Smith with another kick from right in front and he throws it over
Smith with a standard ball to the left to Munster, who then sees nothing but acres in front of him, and he wanders over and scores under the posts, easy as you like.
SCRUM STORM - Clifford chips and the ball rolls into touch 2m from the Storm line. Lee comes off the field with a leg injury
COWBOYS SET RESTART - very timely as it was late in the set and they were still in their own half
SCRUM COWBOYS - Storm very nearly get away down the left side, but Hynes cannot hang onto the pass flung back inside by Olam
PENALTY STORM - Asiata on report for a cannonball style tackle
Smith nails the conversion from right in front
Addo-Carr with a standard line run on the right edge, bumps out of a poor tackle, then ran infield and everyone just stood around and admired his glorious running stride as JAC scored under the posts.
A low hard kick on the last smashes into Vunivalu's legs, Marsters regathers and then offloads to....Hynes.
Storm with a play down a very narrow left edge and JAC is easily pushed into touch. Handover
SCRUM STORM - Drinkwater passes into the left buttock of Mitch Dunn, who was running as a decoy
Cowboys with a 7 tackle set after Vunivalu's kick in field ends up at Caboolture
SCRUM STORM - Challenge successful by the Storm. Marsters knocked on inside the Storm 30m
PENALTY COWBOYS - Storm are using a captain challenge
NAS with a stupid ankle tap as Feldt gets to his feet to play the ball gives the Cowboys a set restart
Cowboys get a full set inside the Storm 10m aaaand they throw it away
SCRUM COWBOYS - Short ball to Kaufusi ruled forward
PENALTY STORM - They take the tap, 10m from the Cowboys line. McGuire returns to the field
SCRUM STORM - Olam attempted a quick pass but it goes forward off Feldt.
Storm doing whatever they like now, strolling up to the Cowboys 10m line in 4 tackles.
Smith converts from right in front
See 9th minute. replace NAS with Tino Fa'asuamaleaui
SCRUM STORM - Gilbert with a knock on deep inside the Cowboys half
Smith out on the left side, adds the extras
Smith with a flat crash ball to NAS who hits the line at pace and Cotter is no chance of stopping him.
PENALTY STORM - Vunivalu blocked from contesting the kick by Marsters
Hynes very nearly scores.
McGuire has been binned! He got up after playing the ball and was being mouthy and the ref told him to go and get some soap for his gob
Holmes from the sideline and a long way back, hits the upright and it's waved away
Great opening try. Narsters with a little grubber on the short side and Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow outpaced the Storm defenders to regather and then stretched out after being tackled, to score in the left corner.
Munster on the left side creates another opportunity and Hynes makes a good 20 metres before being tackled. He then lost the ball.
And the Cowboys kick on the last goes dead ingoal. Storm with a 7 tackle set
Olam just buried O'Neill with a good tackle
Storm run it on the last but the final pass is ruled to have just gone forward. If it hadn't been, Olam would've scored for sure.
Cowboys completed a set
Storm get us underway
Cameron Smith has walked out of more tunnels than a veteran coal miner
Cowboys are on the field. Storm running out now
Get ready for this big clash! Anyone could win this. Shush, we're trying to talk this game up!
Referees & scorers:
Referee: Grant Atkins
Touch Judges: Peter Gough, Ziggy Przeklasa-Adamski
Video Referee: Ashley Klein, Henry Perenara
MELBOURNE STORM (36)
Tries: Nelson Asofa-Solomona, Tino Fa'asuamaleaui, Josh Addo-Carr, Cameron Munster (2), Jahrome Hughes
Field Goals:
Conversions: Cameron Smith (6/6)
Penalty Goals:
NORTH QUEENSLAND COWBOYS (20)
Tries: Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow, Valentine Holmes, Esan Marsters, Kyle Feldt
Field Goals:
Conversions: Valentine Holmes (2/4)
Penalty Goals: