Roosters Origin hopefuls James Tedesco and Sam Walker suffered selection setbacks after the gutsy Cowboys defied the odds to conjure an epic 18-12 victory at Suncorp Stadium on Saturday night.
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Missing injured big guns Tom Dearden and Jason Taumalolo, the depleted Cowboys produced one of their finest displays under coach Todd Payten to snap the Roosters’ five-match winning streak.
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This was a win that delivers finals campaigns. Too often accused of playing like glamour boys, the Cowboys were all grit and guts as they defended like demons to break the spirit of a Roosters team rated as title contenders.
A Braidon Burns double fired the Cowboys to an 18-6 half-time lead and they withstood a furious Tri-Colours second-half onslaught to savour a Magic Round masterclass.
In the process, they delivered a stinging jolt to rival Roosters trio Tedesco, Walker and Daly Cherry-Evans, whose Origin hopes were dented by a slew of Sydney errors.To compound the Roosters’ woes, veteran winger Daniel Tupou (leg) lasted just six minutes, while his replacement Junior Pauga was hooked in the 52nd minute after a horror night out.
BIG HITS
DEBUTANT’S BALL
No Dearden. No worries.
In the absence of his chief playmaker Dearden, Payten handed Liam Sutton his NRL debut and the 23-year-old responded with a nerveless maiden outing.
The well-built pivot set up Scott Drinkwater’s 28th-minute try with a pinpoint cross kick and he had a hand in Braidon Burns’ second try to give the Cowboys a shock 18-6 lead inside 32 minutes.
Sutton was as cool as an Alaskan igloo.
“He went really well,” Todd Payten said post-game.
“I was really impressed with Sutto pretty early on when he got to the club. Didn’t see a lot of him last year so our recruitment team did a great job getting him in.
“He fits what we’re about. He’s a big body, high skilled, fit and he’s had to do it the long way around. I like that kind of story.
“Similar to a lot of guys that kick on and play a lot of NRL football. He’s had some life lessons. He was a highly talented junior, also got spat out the back door at Newcastle. That didn’t work out for him. He’s had to come back through Queensland Cup and he’s earned everything he got tonight.”
He combined well with halfback Jake Clifford, who did his Queensland Origin hopes no harm at all, kicking the Roosters off the park in his 100th NRL game.
“He’s ready,” Payten said.
“He’s been playing some great footy over the past 10 weeks. He’s a strong ball runner and he keeps working in defence as well. He’d be hard to handle on the edge and hopefully he gets the call-up.”
“I’m not even thinking about that now!” | 04:48
WALKER’S OFF
This was Walker’s big moment. His moment to send an emphatic statement to Queensland coach Billy Slater that he is ready to answer the Maroons’ halfback SOS and make his debut in Origin I.
But on this performance, Walker didn’t demand Origin selection. There were some fine touches. He threw a sublime cut out ball for Hugo Savala in the 56th minute and followed up with a booming sideline conversion, but it wasn’t a ruthlessly dominant display.
Walker’s first half was below par and he was outpointed by opposite Clifford as the Roosters were beaten on energy and effort in midfield.
Walker’s scrumbase cohort Daly Cherry-Evans also had visions of a glorious Origin comeback at age 37, but there were no magical moments to warrant Slater recalling his former Maroons captain.
Jake Clifford had a big game.Source: FOX SPORTS
TEDDY’S TORMENT
Tedesco had one final chance to turn up the heat on incumbent Blues fullback Dylan Edwards for the NSW No.1 jumper.
The Roosters champion was far from poor, but it wasn’t quite the dambusting performance needed to unseat Edwards, who can seal his Blues selection against the Dragons on Sunday.
Tedesco went into this game averaging a remarkable 200m per game this season but he rarely saw open spaces and was held to 137m by hungry Cowboys defenders alert to his trademark incursions around the rucks.
COURAGEOUS COWBOYS
The off-contract Payten has copped brickbats but his Cowboys have heart. They are provisionally sixth with a 7-4 record and will make the finals if they maintain this intensity.
Former Cantebury hooker Reed Mahoney has been one of the buys of the season.
He was superb.
How the Bulldogs wish they still had the mongrel, spirit and work rate of Mahoney, who refused to lose as his side’s desire cooked the Chooks.
Cowboys GIRT IT OUT against Chooks | 01:59
JUDICIARY WATCH
– Tom Chester was placed on report for taking out Junior Pauga mid-air in the 8th minute. Sent off in 2024 for a high tackle (4 weeks)
– Matt Lodge was sent to the sin bin and placed on report for a high shot on Lindsay Collins in the 12th minute. 2022 was the last of his 13 NRL charges
FOX LAB STATS
– Cowboys end the Roosters six game winning streak despite Tom Dearden and Jason Taumalolo being out
– Cowboys are the seventh team to win the week after scoring 30 points and going down
– North Queensland completed 21 of 22 sets in the second half to hold on after leading 18-6 at the break
– Roosters had 57 percent possession in the second half with 48 tackles inside the opposition half compared to 25 for the Cowboys
– 12 penalties (7-5 SYD) and 13 set restarts (8-5 SYD) in total
– Roosters sixth straight Round 11 loss; only have one victory in this round since 2018 (2020 v Warriors)
– 11th straight game Roosters have restricted North Queensland to 20 points or less
– Replacement Junior Pauga was then hooked in the 52nd minute before returning when Cody Ramsey was sent for a HIA in the final 15 minutes
– Roosters failed to capitalise with the extra man, making 3 errors
– Cody Ramsey scored his first try since Round 25, 2022 against Broncos for St George Illawarra (1,351 days)
Fox Lab POTM – The battle for the Maroons #7 was won by Jake Clifford who controlled the game expertly especially in the second half. 840 total kick metres, 3/3 conversions, 1 try assist and 15 tackles
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TEAMS
Roosters team: 1. James Tedesco 2. Daniel Tupou 3. Hugo Savala 4. Robert Toia 5. Cody Ramsey 6. Daly Cherry-Evans 7. Sam Walker 8. Naufahu Whyte 9. Reece Robson 10. Lindsay Collins 11. Angus Crichton 12. Siua Wong 13. Connor Watson 14. Egan Butcher 15. Spencer Leniu 16. Nat Butcher 17. Salesi Foketi 18. Fetalaiga Pauga 19. Reece Foley
Cowboys team: 1. Scott Drinkwater 2. Braidon Burns 3. Jaxon Purdue 4. Tomas Chester 5. Zac Laybutt 6. Liam Sutton 7. Jake Clifford 8. Thomas Mikaele 9. Reed Mahoney 10. Matthew Lodge 11. Heilum Luki 12. Sam McIntyre 13. Reuben Cotter 14. Xavier Kerrisk 15. Griffin Neame 16. Robert Derby 17. Coen Hess 18. Wiremu Greig 19. Ethan King
