In a bizarre reversal of a similar result just six weeks ago, North Queensland have humbled the lowly Wests Tigers with a 74-0 win in front of more than 20,000 fans at QLD Country Bank Stadium on Saturday.
Let's start with the records:
- Third biggest margin in Australian first grade history - 74 points
(2nd: Easts v Canterbury, 80 points; 1st: St George v Canterbury, 85 points; both in 1935). - Biggest ever score to nil in Australian first grade history - 74-0
- North Queensland's biggest ever win (previously 64-6, also against the Tigers, in 2014 at their previous home ground)
- North Queensland's biggest ever halftime lead - 42-0
It took nearly 15 minutes for the scoreboard to be troubled - incredible when you consider there were nearly as many points as there are minutes in a game by fulltime.
The Cowboys' procession started with Tom Dearden dummying and scoring, and barely let up for the rest of the contest. Semi Valemei was next and Luciano Leilua almost immediately after, and in five minutes the score transformed from 0-all to 18-0 and the hosts were hot-to-trot.
Scott Drinkwater was next on the scoresheet - twice he crossed before the half-hour mark and after Alex Twal was sin-binned for a hip-drop, the flood gates opened further, with 30-0 becoming 42-0 in the blink of an eye - Murray Taulagi and Val Holmes queueing up for their own four-pointers.
Holmes along with Valemei were next on the board after halftime, with 42-0 turning into 52-0 in next-to-no time, Taulagi then adding a double in time for the 67th minute and the 60-barrier was smashed through.
The forwards got a look in late with Jeremiah Nanai and Jordan McLean breaking down what little resistance the lowly Tigers offered late in the contest and bringing the final score to 74-0.
The Tigers' task gets no easier when they host Cronulla at Commbank next Thursday, while the Cowboys bank two more points next week with a bye, before a trip to Brookvale against the enigmatic Sea Eagles in Round 20.