The Cowboys said farewell to 1300SMILES Stadium in style, defeating the Bulldogs 15-8.
MATCH DETAILS
The Cowboys hosted the Bulldogs in their final home game at 1300SMILES Stadium on Thursday night. It was a low scoring affair, with neither side scoring a try until the second half. Both had scored a penalty goal within the opening ten minutes.
Both sides put up a solid defensive effort, and made minimal errors, making it a high quality first half. There were a few missed try opportunities, one of which controversial for the Bulldogs. After a high intensity first half, both sides went to the sheds with two points.
The second half was still of high quality for both sides, however, the Cowboys were more dominant later on, giving them the seven-point lead that got them the win. The Bulldogs were the first team to score points, with Nick Meaney scoring a second penalty goal for the visitors. A few minutes later, the first try of the game came from Cowboys’ Kyle Feldt, giving them a four-point lead. An unconverted try was scored for the Bulldogs not long after, which once again levelled the scores.
With the scores still level with five minutes remaining, Jordan Kahu kicked a field goal to give the Cowboys a one-point lead. They then scored a try on the bell to seal their win in front of their home crowd for the last time at 1300SMILES.
FOUR POINTERS
High Quality Game
It was a high-quality game at 1300SMILES Stadium on Thursday night, both teams putting in strong defensive efforts, limiting their opponent’s abilities to score tries, hence the low score line by the end of the 80 minutes.
No Finals Chance for Bulldogs
While it was only small and mathematical, there was a chance for the Bulldogs to make it into the finals series before lasy night. The seven-point loss to the Cowboys in North Queensland has now made it impossible for them to climb into the top eight in time for the finals series.
High Completion Rates
Both the Cowboys and the Bulldogs had high completion rates, with limited errors, which is what contributed to making it an entertaining and a high-quality game. The Cowboys completed at 78 per cent, while the Bulldogs completed at 83 per cent.
Farewell to 1300SMILES
Thursday night was the last game the Cowboys will play at 1300SMILES Stadium, which has been their home ground for the last 24 years. Their first game at the venue was in fact against the Bulldogs in March of 1995, where the Bulldogs were victorious. Their win on Thursday night was a fitting farewell to the stadium.
THE RESULT
Tries: Kyle Feldt, Shane Wright
Goals: Jordan Kahu 2, Scott Bolton
Field Goals: Jordan Kahu
Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs 8
Tries: Jayden Okunbor
Goals: Nick Meaney
SQUADS
North Queensland Cowboys:1. Scott Drinkwater, 2. Kyle Feldt, 3. Jordan Kahu, 4. Tom Opacic, 5. Murray Taulagi, 6. John Asiata, 7. Michael Morgan, 16. Scott Bolton, 9. Jake Granville, 10. Jordan McLean, 11. Gavin Cooper, 12. Shane Wright, 13. Jason Taumalolo, Interchange14. Reuben Cotter, 15. Coen Hess, 17. Francis Molo, 18. Peter Hola
Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs: 1. Dallin Watene-Zelezniak, 2. Nick Meaney, 3. Kerrod Holland, 4. Will Hopoate, 5. Jayden Okunbor, 6. Kieran Foran, 7. Lachlan Lewis, 8. Aiden Tolman, 9. Jeremy Marshall-King, 10. Dylan Napa, 11. Josh Jackson, 12. Corey Harawira-Naera, 13. Adam Elliott, Interchange14. Jack Cogger, 15. Renouf Toomaga, 16. Raymond Faitala-Mariner, 17. Chris Smith
