Full Time
80:00
5:30pm Sat March 23, 2024
Round 3 - Netstrata Jubilee Stadium, Carlton / Bidjigal - Crowd: 9252
80min

FULL-TIME: Dragons started strong but conceded with defence like a siev in that second half. North Queensland were great in the second half!

78min

How has Drinkwater stayed in play! That was INSANE!

75min

Sloan put it down! Big concern with Cotter down - right ankle twisted awkwardly in that collision.

74min

PENALTY DRAGONS: Play breaks down after the six again!

74min

SIX AGAIN DRAGONS: Inside 10m

74min

PENALTY DRAGONS: Offside

72min

Been an unreal game of footy. Hard to keep the pace of the blogs up when there's 70 points in 73 minutes!! Insane stuff

71min

Conversion: Dragons
Kicked by Zac Lomax.

Lomax converts

Cowboys lead Dragons 24 - 46 Cowboys
69min

Try: Dragons
Scored by Zac Lomax. Kick to come.

Finally after a seven try onslaught, the Dragons crossed for their first of the second half in the 69th minute. A clever kick by Hunt was contested by two Dragons and Lomax crossed for his second of the contest

Cowboys lead Dragons 22 - 46 Cowboys
68min

Marschke gets a result and Scott Drinkwater puts it down.

67min

PENALTY DRAGONS: Crusher by Cotter on Bird.

64min

Conversion: Cowboys
Kicked by Valentine Holmes.

Conversion successful! This is getting embarrassing now!

Cowboys lead Dragons 18 - 46 Cowboys
64min

Try: Cowboys
Scored by Chad Townsend. Kick to come.

The ball always remains up by Chad Townsend and the Dragons defence has simply evaporated. The Cowboys are scoring at will, you'd think they are gremlins with how easy they are marching up field. Townsend had three defenders on him and STILL scored!

Cowboys lead Dragons 18 - 44 Cowboys
63min

Holmes gets over half-way and earns his side a fresh set with a six again for a leg-pull

63min

Conversion: Cowboys
Kicked by Valentine Holmes.

Goal and the Cows crack 40!

Cowboys lead Dragons 18 - 40 Cowboys
61min

Try: Cowboys
Scored by Valentine Holmes. Kick to come.

Val crosses for the sixth unanswered try for the Cowboys. 18-4 feels so long ago now. Drinkwater delivered a great short ball to Holmes who runs between Hunt and Bird who crosses for his first try of the evening.

Cowboys lead Dragons 18 - 38 Cowboys
59min

Well called by Michael Wise and the pass is called back!

56min

Chad taken on the last and it is a change-over.

55min

PENALTY COWBOYS: High shot by Raymond Faitala-Mariner.

54min

Conversion: Cowboys
Kicked by Valentine Holmes.

Holmes converts - 34-18

Cowboys lead Dragons 18 - 34 Cowboys
53min

Try: Cowboys
Scored by Tom Dearden. Kick to come.

Yet another twelve point turn-around for the Dragons. They have rued at least three chances and then the Cowboys answer. Val Holmes breaks through before finding Tom Dearden who crosses.

Cowboys lead Dragons 18 - 32 Cowboys
53min

LOMAX..... ALMOST comes down with it

50min

Conversion: Cowboys
Kicked by Valentine Holmes.

Goal

Cowboys lead Dragons 18 - 28 Cowboys
49min

Try: Cowboys
Scored by Kulikefu Finefeuiaki. Kick to come.

Off the back of the Drinkwater 40/20, the Cowboys have camped up the other end and it is the rampaging Kulikefu Finefeuiaki who charged across for the first try of the second half.

Cowboys lead Dragons 18 - 26 Cowboys
48min

Great kick from Drinkwater inside the 40 and it is a 40/20

47min

Leilua delivered a peach of an offload to Flanagan. He puts a kick, missing the flying Sloan in support so he kicks it and Feldt is tackled in goal. Cowboys go short, drop-out is recovered.

46min

Lomax did well to bully Dearden over the sideline!!

46min

Cowboys now working over the middle third.

44min

Ravalawa broke down the left, brave tackle by Chester but does great to stay in the field of play.

43min

Pass was ruled backwards but knocked on by Tomas Chester.

42min

Both sides complete their first sets of the second half.

40min

Back underway for the second half.

40min

Half-Time: Cowboys 22 lead Dragons 18.

39min

Conversion: Cowboys
Kicked by Valentine Holmes.

Goal is good!

Cowboys lead Dragons 18 - 22 Cowboys
37min

Try: Cowboys
Scored by Scott Drinkwater. Kick to come.

Great kick by Townsend - Feldt batted it back perfectly into the waiting arms of Scott Drinkwater and the fullback gets one right on the stroke of the half!

Cowboys lead Dragons 18 - 20 Cowboys
35min

Cowboys challenged a loss ball decision. Adam Gee quick to dismiss the Cowboys cries and it was a quick unsuccessful challenge.

32min

Conversion: Cowboys
Kicked by Valentine Holmes.

Holmes added the extras.

Dragons lead Dragons 18 - 16 Cowboys
32min

Try: Cowboys
Scored by Griffin Neame. Kick to come.

This will be a Cowboys try. The Bunker ruled that there was no downward pressure by Sloan and the big New Zealand international Griffin Neame placed downward pressure on the Robson grubber to score.

Dragons lead Dragons 18 - 14 Cowboys
32min

VIDEO REF COWBOYS: Sharpe has a NO TRY - looking to confirm a Sloan grounding.

31min

Clearly on the replay! Hunt is grabbing him early and they used a challenge successfully. So it'll be a penalty for tackle without the ball.

31min

Kulikefu Finefeuiaki puts it down and that squanders an opportunity potentially...

30min

So some dialogue with touchie Tyson Brough and the short kick failed to go the distance. Cowboys get the play the ball 10 out.

29min

Flanagan takes the kick just inside the field of play but is quickly tackled in the in-goal

28min

Great pressure from Finefeuiaki and forces the error from Tom Eisenhuth.

28min

So some good moments here after the frantic first 25 minutes.

26min

Conversion: Cowboys
Kicked by Valentine Holmes.

Holmes converts from in-front and it is 18-10.

Dragons lead Dragons 18 - 10 Cowboys
25min

Try: Cowboys
Scored by Sam McIntyre. Kick to come.

After some rare first half possession, Reece Robson delivered a great deception of his old club's defensive line and Sam McIntyre crosses for his first try as a Cowboy.

Dragons lead Dragons 18 - 8 Cowboys
24min

Kulikefu Finefeuiaki has PASSED HIS HIA.

23min

Jesse Marschke is placed ON REPORT for the tackle.

23min

PENALTY COWBOYS: High shot on Chad Townsend.

22min

BOMBED!!!!!!!! Hunt has grubbered and it was a bombed try from Raymond Faitala-Mariner.

21min

PENALTY DRAGONS: Slow peel against Griffin Neame.

21min

The Dragons completely shell-shocking the visitors.

21min

Conversion: Dragons
Kicked by Zac Lomax.

Lomax has added the extras and it is 18-4.

Dragons lead Dragons 18 - 4 Cowboys
19min

Try: Dragons
Scored by Kyle Flanagan. Kick to come.

After that enterprising play, Kyle Flanagan beat some defenders that should know better in Reuben Cotter and Jason Taumalolo to cross for their third of the opening quarter hour.

Dragons lead Dragons 16 - 4 Cowboys
18min

PENALTY DRAGONS: GREAT RUN by Bird earning his side a penalty for a slow peel.

17min

Great kick return from Mikaele Ravalawa, beating several tacklers before finding Jack Bird to get up to the 30m line.

16min

Kulikefu Finefeuiaki is a CAT 2 HIA symptom and will have a HIA.

16min

Conversion: Dragons
Kicked by Zac Lomax.

Lomax converts - 12-4.

Dragons lead Dragons 12 - 4 Cowboys
14min

Try: Dragons
Scored by Tyrell Sloan. Kick to come.

Ben Hunt quickly drew in some poor Cowboys defence (Valentine Holmes in particular) and broke through before finding Tyrell Sloan and he races away to score.

Dragons lead Dragons 10 - 4 Cowboys
12min

Kulikefu Finefeuiaki will come for a HIA and it didn't look great for the rookie backrower.

12min

Big restart run from Blake Lawrie and he's picked out Kulikefu Finefeuiaki.

12min

Conversion: Dragons
Kicked by Zac Lomax.

Lomax converts and it's 6-4 - Dragons lead.

Dragons lead Dragons 6 - 4 Cowboys
11min

Try: Dragons
Scored by Zac Lomax. Kick to come.

The Cowboys committed a cardinal sin and conceded a penalty after holding the Dragons to a good defensive yardage set. The Dragons worked the ball well to the right edge and Zac Lomax crossed. Lomax ran it round to score next to the posts.

Tied up at Dragons 4 - 4 Cowboys
10min

PENALTY DRAGONS: Steal

8min

Great take in the collision by Mikaele Ravalawa. Dragons work their way out of their own end.

6min

Conversion: Cowboys
Attempted by Valentine Holmes.

Holmes misses it down the left edge. 4-0.

Cowboys lead Dragons 0 - 4 Cowboys
4min

Try: Cowboys
Scored by Murray Taulagi. Kick to come.

Dragons concede a penalty and they get pushed down the other end by the Cowboys forward pack. The Cowboys work the ball down the right and it was a magical pass to Scott Drinkwater and Murray Taulagi and he crosses in the corner.

Cowboys lead Dragons 0 - 4 Cowboys
3min

PENALTY COWBOYS: Inside 10m.

3min

NO TRY: Pass from Bird is called forward to Sloan

1min

Tomas Chester puts it down in the collision.

We're underway from Kogarah

Belinda Sharpe commands the whistle for the first time in the 2024 season. Tyson Brough and Michael Wise are our touch-judges, making it an all QLD affair in the middle. In the bunker is Adam Gee tonight.

One late change for the Dragons with 13. Tom Eisenhuth moving to the bench with 19. Ben Murdoch-Masila starting; The other change as announced 24 hours ago, Jayden Su'a OUT with Raymond Faitala-Mariner starting in jersey 16. Cowboys have lost 4. Zac Laybutt with 18. Tom Chester coming in to the side in the only change for the visitors.

Round 3 is continuing from Nestrata Jubilee Stadium with the Dragons playing host to the Cowboys. St George Illawarra were very poor in the second round of the season and they will be desperate for a bounce-back performance in this one, while the Cowboys maintained an undefeated start to 2024.

Referees & scorers:

Referee: Belinda Sharpe

Touch Judges: Michael Wise, Tyson Brough

Video Referee: Adam Gee

ST GEORGE ILLAWARRA DRAGONS (24)
Tries: Zac Lomax (2), Tyrell Sloan, Kyle Flanagan
Conversions: Zac Lomax (4/4)

NORTH QUEENSLAND COWBOYS (46)
Tries: Murray Taulagi, Valentine Holmes, Sam McIntyre, Griffin Neame, Scott Drinkwater, Kulikefu Finefeuiaki, Tom Dearden, Chad Townsend
Conversions: Valentine Holmes (7/8)