1 week ago
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Injury blow as Cowboys lose Luke
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An injury blow for the Cowboys now with Soni Luke twisting his knee awkwardly in a tackle. The bench hooker had just come onto the field and now limps off. Reed Mahoney will return after a brief stint on the bench.
The news from the sideline is it’s medial ligament damage for Luke.
Cowboys 18, Eels 16 with 26 minutes left
TRY: Cowboys centres light up Townsville with long-range special
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The Cowboys have some of the most thrilling centres in the game, and they both shine here to give their team the lead again. First Tom Chester finds some space on the right sideline and he bursts clear, shrugging off a defender to boot to get his team into the Eels’ half with the defence scrambling. They don’t scramble quickly enough for Jaxon Purdue, who drifts infield to collect a pass from Tom Dearden and slice through for a try beside the posts.
The lead has changed hands half a dozen times now, and there’s still plenty of time left.
Cowboys 18, Eels 16 with 28 minutes left
TRY: Addo-Carr still too quick to give Eels the lead again
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The Eels have the first real foray into their opponents’ half after the break but Mitch Moses’ grubber is easily cleaned up by Scott Drinkwater.
But a play later there’s a result for Parra, with Braidon Burns losing the ball in a tackle. He claims it was raked out by an Eels’ hand but the referee rules it’s a knock on.
Parramatta start the new set, get a six again, then another, and then they strike – Ronald Volkman puts a chip kick over the defensive line, and Josh Addo-Carr goes into fast forward to run around two Cowboys players and touch down.
Eels 16, Cowboys 12 with 31 minutes left
Second half underway
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Only 15% of readers reckon Parramatta will get the win tonight but they have given themselves a good chance with that first half. North Queensland have looked a little more dangerous in attack but have also made more mistakes, and neither team has really controlled the contest for an extended period yet.
It’s been more than a year since the Cowboys have blown a first-half lead. They kick us off for the second half.
Cowboys 12, Eels 10 with 40 minutes left
First half stats snapshot: Plenty of chances in even contest
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Half-time: Cowboys hold a two-point lead at the break
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It looks like the lead is destined to change hands again when the Eels go on the attack and earn repeat sets after a Scott Drinkwater error and a Coen Hess ruck infringement, but the rushing Cowboys defence comes up trumps when a rushed Parramatta pass trickles over the sideline.
The Cowboys then turn on the style in attack, sweeping the ball left for Jaxon Purdue to unleash Zac Laybutt down the wing, before Scott Drinkwater puts in a testing grubber on the last. But Purdue tackles Joash Papalii early as they chase the kick and the Eels get a penalty in the final minute of the half.
in the dying second Mitch Moses takes a pop at a long-range two-point field goal, but it sails wide to the left.
Cowboys 12, Eels 10 at half-time
Watch: Clifford slices through after Dearden pass
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Watch: Luki splits the Eels defence
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TRY: Dearden, Clifford combine to give Cowboys the lead again
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Dragons-bound Cowboys fullback Scott Drinkwater is an attacking weapon but he also is a little error-prone and he makes a mistake now, spilling a bomb over his own dead-ball line.
But the Cowboys’ short dropout pays off nicely with Heilum Luki coming down with it, and they get away with one there.
A couple of sets later the hosts find themselves on the attack, and the lead changes hands again – Tom Dearden going to the line and linking up with halves partner Jake Clifford, who bursts through a half gap to score a simple try.
The Eels’ defence has been the worst in the league this season and it was broken a little too easily again there.
Cowboys 12, Eels 10 after 29 minutes
TRY: Da Silva strikes as Eels turn pressure into points
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The Eels force a big turnover with Zac Laybutt being folded by a Jack de Belin tackle and spilling the ball. It looks like they’ve got their second try when Mitch Moses turns a pass back inside for a charging Kelma Tuilagi but he’s grounded by a terrific legs tackle from Reed Mahoney. Then on the opposite side, Braidon Burns gets a hand to a final pass and deflects the ball over the sideline.
So it’s a new set for Parramatta, but this time it doesn’t take long for the Cowboys to crack – Tallyn Da Silva darting out of dummy half, running through one tackler and holding off Tom Dearden to make his second line break of the game and score. It’s a simple one for Moses to convert.
Eels 10, Cowboys 6 after 22 minutes
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