FULL-TIME: Dragons started strong but conceded with defence like a siev in that second half. North Queensland were great in the second half!
How has Drinkwater stayed in play! That was INSANE!
Sloan put it down! Big concern with Cotter down - right ankle twisted awkwardly in that collision.
PENALTY DRAGONS: Play breaks down after the six again!
SIX AGAIN DRAGONS: Inside 10m
PENALTY DRAGONS: Offside
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
Lomax converts
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
Marschke gets a result and Scott Drinkwater puts it down.
PENALTY DRAGONS: Crusher by Cotter on Bird.
Conversion successful! This is getting embarrassing now!
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!
Holmes gets over half-way and earns his side a fresh set with a six again for a leg-pull
Goal and the Cows crack 40!
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.
Well called by Michael Wise and the pass is called back!
Chad taken on the last and it is a change-over.
PENALTY COWBOYS: High shot by Raymond Faitala-Mariner.
Holmes converts - 34-18
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.
LOMAX..... ALMOST comes down with it
Goal
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.
Great kick from Drinkwater inside the 40 and it is a 40/20
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.
Lomax did well to bully Dearden over the sideline!!
Cowboys now working over the middle third.
Ravalawa broke down the left, brave tackle by Chester but does great to stay in the field of play.
Pass was ruled backwards but knocked on by Tomas Chester.
Both sides complete their first sets of the second half.
Back underway for the second half.
Half-Time: Cowboys 22 lead Dragons 18.
Goal is good!
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 challenged a loss ball decision. Adam Gee quick to dismiss the Cowboys cries and it was a quick unsuccessful challenge.
Holmes added the extras.
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.
VIDEO REF COWBOYS: Sharpe has a NO TRY - looking to confirm a Sloan grounding.
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.
Kulikefu Finefeuiaki puts it down and that squanders an opportunity potentially...
So some dialogue with touchie Tyson Brough and the short kick failed to go the distance. Cowboys get the play the ball 10 out.
Flanagan takes the kick just inside the field of play but is quickly tackled in the in-goal
Great pressure from Finefeuiaki and forces the error from Tom Eisenhuth.
So some good moments here after the frantic first 25 minutes.
Holmes converts from in-front and it is 18-10.
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.
Kulikefu Finefeuiaki has PASSED HIS HIA.
Jesse Marschke is placed ON REPORT for the tackle.
PENALTY COWBOYS: High shot on Chad Townsend.
BOMBED!!!!!!!! Hunt has grubbered and it was a bombed try from Raymond Faitala-Mariner.
PENALTY DRAGONS: Slow peel against Griffin Neame.
The Dragons completely shell-shocking the visitors.
Lomax has added the extras and it is 18-4.
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.
PENALTY DRAGONS: GREAT RUN by Bird earning his side a penalty for a slow peel.
Great kick return from Mikaele Ravalawa, beating several tacklers before finding Jack Bird to get up to the 30m line.
Kulikefu Finefeuiaki is a CAT 2 HIA symptom and will have a HIA.
Lomax converts - 12-4.
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.
Kulikefu Finefeuiaki will come for a HIA and it didn't look great for the rookie backrower.
Big restart run from Blake Lawrie and he's picked out Kulikefu Finefeuiaki.
Lomax converts and it's 6-4 - Dragons lead.
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.
PENALTY DRAGONS: Steal
Great take in the collision by Mikaele Ravalawa. Dragons work their way out of their own end.
Holmes misses it down the left edge. 4-0.
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.
PENALTY COWBOYS: Inside 10m.
NO TRY: Pass from Bird is called forward to Sloan
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)