They didn't. Cowboys hold on for the win
Eels have 60 seconds and 90 metres to travel to score an 8 point try if they are to be a chance here.
SCRUM COWBOYS - 10m from their own line
Simonsson almost got to the line and then he almost got a pass away but he did manage to turn the ball over
PENALTY EELS - High tackle.
Moses converts
Gutherson makes another break in the middle, passes outside to Moses, but the pass is low. Moses at top speed toes it ahead and wins the race to score.
SCRUM COWBOYS - 20m shy of halfway
Moses quickly converts
Gutherson breaks through the Cowboys line and then links with Moses in support who races over to score under the sticks. Niice
Waqa Blake was where he should be and he caught a kick!
A tunnelball pass between the legs by Simonsson goes into touch over the head of where Waqa Blake should've been if he had've been standing on a 20ft ladder.
SCRUM EELS - Gutherson tries to do everything by himself and very nearly gets to the tryline. He offloads and the battle for possession resembled a game of AFL with the ball on the ground. Cowboys knocked on. They challenged and failed.
And another fresh set
Eels get a fresh set on the Cowboys line
Drinkwater with a dog of a kick on the last, makes about 15metres and goes into touch. Eels start their set just shy of halfway
Holmes adds the extras
Drinkwater drops back under and receives a standard pass from Townsend, then he hit the pause button on the Parramatta middle defence and strolled through them to score under the posts.
Lane cops a nasty headknock as he bends over to collect a loose ball near the Cowboys line and his head comes into contact with the leg of Townsend. Lane is helped off the field.
Holmes kicks a penalty goal
PENALTY COWBOYS - Ogden passes off the ground.
Holmes is back
Short dropout and Eels get the ball back
Grubber by Robson from dummy half is forced in the Eels ingoal by Simonsson. Eels dropout
Set Restart Cowboys
PENALTY COWBOYS - High Tackle - Cowboys 35m from the Eels line
SCRUM COWBOYS - 10m from their own line
Taulagi shuts down Gutherson and forces a knock on as well. Great defence.
Taulagi gets a hand on a pass and denies the Eels a try. Parra get another set though
PENALTY COWBOYS - Holmes hits Moses with everything in the kitchen that isn't bolted down. HUGE HIT. But apparently it's illegal to use household appliances in tackles, so Holmes has been binned.
And a tackle later the Eels get another set restart. Padding their stats now.
Set restart Eels, 10m from the Cowboys line
PENALTY EELS - Nani on the left edge gets the ball close to the Eels line, throws a dummy which makes Waqa Blake retreat to where the ball wasn't and Nanai dived through the gap to score. BUT, the Bunker found Simonsson was just standing around like Waqa Blake in defence and obstructed the inside defender.
Matterson just got drilled harder than all current NRL wingers did by Blake Ferguson on twitter recently.
PENALTY COWBOYS - Moses isn't happy with that decision, In other news, it's cold in Melbourne when it's winter.
Blake put on report for his late hit in the lead-up to that try, where his tackle should've been.
Holmes fails from out wide this time
Cowboys go through the hands on the right side and eventually the ball ends up in the unmarked hands of Valemei and he bags his second try, running in the space where Waqa Blake should've been
PENALTY COWBOYS
Drinkwater lets the goalposts run obstruction for him in a very clever kick return out of his own in-goal area
Moses with a long ball over the top to where Waqa Blake should've been
PENALTY EELS - They find touch 30m from the Cowboys line
Dearden grubbers into the Eels ingoal and Taulagi gets to the ball and is initially awarded a try by the onfield ref, but he never claimed possession cleanly to start with and has the try taken off him.
PENALTY COWBOYS - Eels inside the ten. Cowboys find touch 4m shy of halfway
Drinkwater grubbers on the last and it's so delicate, it barely grazed the cotton stitching on his boot.
SCRUM COWBOYS - DejaVu again. Paulo drops the ball in the first set after points.
Moses fails to convert
Parramatta run almost the exact same play the Cowboys just used to score, with Gutherson delivering the good ball to Russell who scores in the corner.
SCRUM EELS - From the restart the Cowboys hand the Eels a huge chance courtesy of a sloppy play-the-ball
Holmes converts from the sideline
Drinkwater with a long ball out to the unmarked Valemi, and he scores in the corner.
PENALTY COWBOYS - They get a fresh set camped on the Eels line
Holmes loses the ball. Parramatta come up with it now.
Holmes adds the extras.
Peta Hiku gets the home team on the board early!
Recapping team news, only one change from the named teams on Tuesday - Sivo suspended with Blake on the wing for the Eels. NQ are 1-17.
Game on in Townsville!
Referees & scorers:
Referee: Grant Atkins
Touch Judges: Jarrod Cole, Liam Kennedy
Video Referee: Chris Butler
NORTH QUEENSLAND COWBOYS (24)
Tries: Peta Hiku, Semi Valemei (2), Scott Drinkwater
Conversions: Valentine Holmes (3/4)
Penalty Goals: Valentine Holmes (1/1)
PARRAMATTA EELS (16)
Tries: Sean Russell, Mitchell Moses (2)
Conversions: Mitchell Moses (2/3)