Chloe Schibeci reviews the Townsville clash between North Queensland and the Sydney Roosters …
MATCHDAY RESULTS
SCOREBOARD
North Queensland Cowboys 4
Tries: Murray Taulagi (64)
Goals: N/A
Sydney Roosters 28
Tries: Joseph Manu 2 (25, 42), Paul Momirovski (5), Victor Radley (30), Kevin Naiqama (33),
Daniel Tupou (71)
Goals: Sam Walker 2 (31, 35)
MATCH REPORT
Embed from Getty Images1st Half
The Cowboys hosted the Roosters in Townsville on Saturday night. The Cowboys were coming off a big win against the Broncos last weekend, while the Roosters wanted redemption after a loss to the Rabbitohs.
The Roosters put themselves on the board almost instantly, with centre Paul Momirovski scoring after just five minutes of play. The visiting team was ready to make a statement and redeem themselves after their loss last weekend. Despite no points being scored, they asserted their dominance throughout the first half while the Cowboys struggled to put themselves into the game.
In the final 15 minutes of the first half, the Roosters scored three tries to create a bigger gap going into the break. The first of these three was an unconverted try by Joseph Manu. A few minutes later, Victor Radley scored, and was followed by Kevin Naiqama. The Roosters had well and truly established themselves in this match, leaving the Cowboys with minimal opportunities.
The Cowboys suffered with disciplinary issues, with Tom Gilbert sent to the sin bin, as the Roosters took their lead to 20 points.
HALF-TIME: North Queensland Cowboys 0 Sydney Roosters 20
Embed from Getty Images2nd Half
The second half was looking promising for the Roosters, who were looking dominant against North Queensland, particularly later on in the first half; meanwhile, the Cowboys were struggling but hoping to turn it around in the second half.
It didn’t take long for the Roosters to put themselves on the board once again, with Joseph Manu crossing for his second try after just two minutes of play.
The Roosters had scored yet another try not long after; however, it was called back and the Bunker overruled the decision after an obstruction. The Roosters were leading by 24. One thing they struggled with was conversions. Had Sam Walker kicked all of his conversions, they would have been even further ahead.
The Cowboys were starting to look a bit stronger; however, they hadn’t left themselves enough time to catch up and put themselves into the contest. Their first and only try came from winger Murray Taulagi in the 64th minute.
They lost Chad Townsend for the final 10 minutes of the game (after losing Griffin Neame early in the second half), after a high tackle saw him sent to the sin bin – their third of the night. The Roosters once again took full advantage of the 12-man opposition, with Daniel Tupou scoring untouched.
FULL-TIME: North Queensland Cowboys 4 Sydney Roosters 28
PLAYER OF THE YEAR POINTS
Embed from Getty Images3 pts – Joseph Manu (Roosters), 2 pts – Victor Radley (Roosters), 1 pt – Angus Crichton (Roosters)
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