Cowboys raise bat as Titans tumble

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North Queensland Cowboys v Gold Coast Titans

North Queensland have executed a second-half demolition job on the Gold Coast in a match replete with sin bins, finishing 50-18 winners at Queensland Country Bank Stadium on Saturday evening.

It was a day out for Cowboys winger Robert Derby, who crossed for three of the Cowboys' nine tries - all in the second half - as the home team ran roughshod over the Titans despite trailing by six at the break.

From the outset, the Cowboys looked more likely with Jake Clifford running onto a short ball to open the scoring at the eighth minute. The Titans tipped the game on its head in the ten minutes to follow, quick-firing through with three tries - Jojo Fifita, Brian Kelly and Beau Fermor all crossing in the blink of an eye to suddenly surge the visitors to a ten-point lead.

Clifford would turn villain for the home side at the half-hour mark when he was sin-binned for a professional foul which saved a try but produced a Gold Coast penalty goal.

At 18-6, you'd be forgiven for thinking the Titans would've fancied their chances, but as it would ultimately pan out, they wouldn't score another point. Not only did they fail to capitalise on the extra man all the way to the halftime break, they conceded a try through Cowboys' second rower Jeremiah Nanai, then lost Jaimin Jolliffe moments before the break to a sin bin after high contact.

The Cowboys though? They took full advantage. They flipped a 12-18 deficit at the break into a 22-18 lead by the 52 minute mark, and then from the 59th minute began a procession.

Derby, Nanai, Purdue, Robson and Taulagi all got in on the fun and it finished with Derby capping his hat-trick on the siren with a penalty try, and with Drinkwater converting, the Cowboys reached the half-century which statistically rules the Gold Coast out of winning the premiership.

Both teams head to Magic Round at Suncorp next week with plenty to prove. The Cowboys will battle top-four side the Warriors who are in a rich vein of form, while the Titans are against the 6-1 Bulldogs who will be smarting from the thumping the Broncos gave them on Thursday.