Cowboys outpoint Dragons in thriller

Embed from Getty Images

North Queensland Cowboys v St George Illawarra Dragons

North Queensland Cowboys won 38-32 against St George Illawarra Dragons in front of 16,020 fans in Townsville on Friday night.

It was a game where defense was optional from two sides, mostly out of the running for the top eight. Tom Dearden steered the Cowboys to the win with his double in an open contest to kick off Friday football. 

Needing a win to keep their season alive, Cowboys started fast. Zac Laybutt spotted a lazy marker back inside and used his speed to brush through for the opening four-pointer.

It was all the hosts in the early stages. Reece Robson cuts open his former side then finds Origin winning half Tom Dearden who just strolls across to give them a 12-0 lead at the break. 

Dragons fought their way back into the game, albeit briefly. Some quick hands on the right opened up the passage for Tyrell Sloan who had the saloon passage to the line for the visitors first.

They levelled the game at 12-all soon after. Lykhan King-Togia off the back of a mountain of possession, punched through a low kick and the returning Mathew Feagai swooped to score. 

The Cowboys wrestled back momentum and just pillared the Dragons defense. A questionable decision from Luciano Leilua to drop off the tackle allowed Coen Hess to slam the ball down for an 18-12 lead.

Dragons lost Corey Allan to injury and the Cowboys were hunting that side. Dearden just sliced through easily and found Scott Drinkwater inside him for a simple four-pointer.

There was a killer blow right on the break for the visitors. Cowboys used the space on the right again to get in position. The kick from Dearden went left and was batted right to Jeremiah Nanai who had the simple finish. 

The visitors were first to get on the board in the second half. They had a mountain of possession on the Cowboys line and King-Togia unfurled a pass for Corey Allan to bring it back to 28-16. 

They cut further into the total with another sublime try. It was another strong move to the right and Sloan confirmed with a terrific finisher again with his putdown for his second. 

Dragons brought it back to 28-26 with 13 minutes left. A strong carry from Hamish Stewart put them on the front foot. Enter, Jacob Liddle who scooped it up and surges over.

Cowboys needed their big players to stand up to get them back on top. Who else but Dearden, he went himself and sold the Dragons line a dummy and scored his second of the game for 32-26. 

This topsy-turvey game took another twist as the Cowboys went ahead by 12 again. Dragons tried to go short, it didn't work after a huge catch from Robert Derby. They quickly spread it wide and Jaxon Purdue flew down the sideline to score.

There is some anxious waits for the visitors with Jaydn Su'A going off in the second half with a knee injury and Jack De Belin also being hurt during the contest despite coming back on late in the game.