Cowboys vs Storm

Widely tipped for the wooden spoon at the start of the year, North Queensland made a statement with a resounding win over premiership fancies Melbourne.

However, the try that will stick in the memory is the opening one. The hosts led 12-6 after a tight first half, but kicked away in the second. Harry Grant was pitched into the uncustomary position of halfback on one of the few occasions that a test of Melbourne’s depth fell short. Most pundits predicted the Cowboys would finish last and there was nothing in their opening-round loss to the Bulldogs to suggest otherwise. What’s more, this was the Storm’s biggest loss since they copped a 39-0 drubbing at the hands of Canterbury in 2013. Only a slight points differential now stands between North Queensland and Melbourne’s position in second spot on the competition ladder.

Cowboys' 'unsung hero' in brutal beatdown; 'rare' Bellamy moment says it all: 3 Big Hits.

“He’s been a real unsung hero in this Cowboys team. “They beat Parramatta a couple of weeks ago but this is the big test. Despite their efforts, the Storm’s attack was a shadow of what it usually is. That has been on area of their game – control. Jordan Grant Harry Grant 8. Tom Gilbert 12. Tom Dearden 7. “You talk about the errors from the Cowboys made in the first half, they haven’t made those sort of errors throughout the season. While the Cowboys deserve plenty of praise, Alexander believes the scoreline is more of a reflection of the Storm because even the Cowboys were below their best in the first half. “A stunning scoreline off the back of a run of games in which the Cowboys keep racking up big scores,” Fox League commentator Warren Smith said. The red-hot Cowboys have won six in a row after stunning the Storm 36-6 on home soil in front of a sold-out crowd.