Round 14 (v Knights) - Teams & Stories

[Granty]

TOYOTA CUP

North Queensland Cowboys v Newcastle Knights

Dairy Farmers Stadium
Monday 16th June 2008
4:45pm

Cowboys

1 Sam Bowie
2 Obe Geia
3 Brandon Boor
4 Leo Faagutu
5 Chippie Korostchuk
6 Ray Thompson
7 Brady Payne
8 Josh Land
9 Ryan Carr (c)
10 Shaun Maloney
11 Tyson Martin
12 Chris Faust
13 Jack Cooper

14 Joel Lillyman
15 Ben Spina
16 Chris Riesen
17 Dylan Smith

Coach: Grant Bell


Knights

1 Marty Paulson
2 Peter Mata’utia
3 Daniel Isaac
4 Simon Williams
5 Jared Edwards
6 Ryan Stig
7 Joel Burraston
8 Scott Dobbins
9 Joel Brown
10 Joel Edwards
11 Callan Richardson (c)
12 Zane Tetavano
13 Jason Schirnack

14 Byron Fruean
15 Mitchell Garbutt
16 Joseph Iosefo
17 James McClory
18 Ben Wyborn

Coach : Trent Robinson


Match Officials

[Granty]

http://www.townsvillebulletin.com.au/article/2008/06/14/13925_cowboys.html

Cowboys youngsters have plenty to play for

JOSH ALSTON

14Jun08

THE Cowboys' chances of snaring the maiden Toyota Cup premiership are effectively gone, but the players still have everything to work for.

North Queensland are anchored to the bottom of the ladder with just two draws from 12 games.

But hard-tackling second-rower Nick Slyney will again line up in first grade this weekend and captain Ryan Carr said his teammates were all eager to follow him.

"We're not playing the season for one win, we're playing for as many as we can and ultimately to get as many players as we can into first grade," he said.

"As much as winning is really important, that's our main goal.

"We're all real stoked for Nick, he played real well on the weekend and I'm sure he'll be in the team again this week.

"There's a bit more confidence around the team now, thinking if he can get there I think everyone else can get there.

"It's just going to boost the morale and hopefully we can go good against the Knights."

The Cowboys have been luckless in the fledgling competition, having victory snapped from their grasp on several occasions – most notably against the Dragons and Sea Eagles where they lost in the final minute.

Carr said the players were working hard to become a complete 80-minute team.

"I think there's patches in games throughout every game of the year where we've just let teams hit back at us, whether we've been leading or coming from behind," he said.

"We're focusing more on getting those patches out of our game, them little 10-minute periods.

"It's not a big area, it's just a little area we need to work on.

"I think we're finding our feet, we've been very close to a few and I think we'll find it soon and when we do I think we'll be a lot better team for it."

[naynayzz]

great win boyssss

[Depleted_and_Defeated]

This'll give them some confidence. It shows how poor the depth is now that it took this long to get a win, but as long as these guys can keep improving, the top side will benefit. Good to see them break through tonight though.

[Granty]

:woot: They've won their first game of the season (from memory, the score was 30-14)

and, from the post game presentation at the Cowboys Leagues Club

The Under 20's Man of the Match went to Jack Cooper

[Granty]

http://www.cowboys.com.au/news.php?id=472

Round 14 vs Knights

16 Jun 2008

U20 History Makers

Two quick tries early in the second half gave the North Queensland Toyota Cowboys U20 side enough momentum to win their first ever Toyota Cup match, defeating the Newcastle Knights U20 side 30-14 at Dairy farmers stadium.

Behind at half time, the Cowboys stepped up a gear in the second half with solid defence and enterprising attack .

When Obe Gaia raced 80m to score in the dying minutes to bring up the final scoreline, it was the icing on the cake for the young Cowboys who will gain great confidence from his convincing win.

Cowboys U20 30 ( Chris Faust, Chris Reisen, Josh Land, Tom Humble, Brandon Boor, Obe Gaia tries, Chris Reisen 2 goals, Jack Cooper 1 goal )
d Newcastle Knights U20 14 ( Simon Williams 2 tries, Zane Tetavano 1 try, Peter Mata’Utai 1 goal)

[Granty]

http://www.townsvillebulletin.com.au/article/2008/06/17/13973_cowboys.html

Under-20 Cowboys break through for maiden win

JOSH ALSTON

17Jun08

AN elated Cowboys under-20s outfit has shaken the monkey off their backs after recording a watershed 30-14 victory over the Newcastle Knights at Dairy Farmers Stadium last night.

A runaway intercept try to centre Brandon Boor sealed the result for the North Queenslanders after he plucked a Ryan Stig pass out of thin air to race 70m to give the Cowboys an unassailable 26-14 lead with 17 minutes to go.

And one-time first-grader Obe Geia added the icing to the cake with a sublime kick return that saw him race 80m to score.

The result was built on a steely defensive effort that saw the Cowboys successfully defend their tryline time and time again.

"The defence on the tryline, the defence and the determination not to let them in was outstanding," coach Grant Bell said.

"It's full credit to them, in the last four games we've been in a fighting match and not come up with the result."

The Cowboys crashed over for their first try in the 18th minute through second-rower Chris Faust, but the Knights quickly retaliated through centre Simon Williams.

Poor handling cruelled the Cowboys' chances as they were forced to repel wave after wave of Newcastle raids and they managed to hold on until the 33rd minute before back-rower Jared Edwards crossed out wide to give the visitors a four-point advantage.

COWBOYS 30 (Faust, Reisen, Land, Humble, Boor, Geia tries; Reisen 2 goals, Cooper goal)
d KNIGHTS 14 (Williams 2, Edwards tries; Mata'utia goal).

[Granty]

http://www.townsvillebulletin.com.au/article/2008/06/18/13999_sport.html

Cowboys under-20s break their duck

ANTONY STEWART

18Jun08

http://www.townsvillebulletin.com.au/images/uploadedfiles/editorial/pictures/2008/06/17/Ryan-Carr-Cowboys-under-20s.jpg
Ryan Carr

THEY have finally broken their duck but under-20s skipper Ryan Carr says it is essential the Cowboys do not spend the rest of the season living on one win.

The relief was obvious in the North Queensland camp after they managed their first triumph in the NRL's Youth Competition on Monday, defeating Newcastle 30-14.

In a gutsy performance after so many near misses in the previous 13 rounds, the Cowboys battled back from a halftime deficit to win the second half 20-0.

But as good as the victory felt, with a short turnaround ahead of Saturday's clash with the Storm in Melbourne, Carr said it was crucial the squad quickly refocused.

"All the pressure of the first 13 or 14 rounds is just gone, everyone is a bit more happy now and I think we have just got to build on it," the hooker said.

"We can't leave it at that one win, we have got to keep going forward and we are definitely focused on a win in Melbourne this week.

"It wasn't a grand final by any means and we're not treating it like that, I think it just gives us a bit more confidence now that we can actually get up."

The Cowboys have been in game-winning positions on numerous occasions in 2008 but time and time again victory was ripped from them in the dying stages.

Newcastle had their chances to add to North Queensland's woes courtesy of repeat sets on their line but could not crack the home team's defence in the final 40 minutes.

The 19-year-old Carr said the backbone and pride the Cowboys displayed in defence was even more impressive than the four tries they scored in the second stanza.

"We were stoked to get the 20 (points) but more importantly Belly (coach Grant Bell) was real happy with the fact we didn't let them score in the second half at all," he said.

"They had some back-to-back sets there where they were putting us under pressure and that little period is where in other games we have let ourselves down.

"But we really stuck it out, we didn't give them anything, which was good."

While still in last place on the ladder, the Cowboys are now just two points behind the struggling Sydney Roosters.

But Carr said the team was trying not to focus on their place on the table.

"No one wants to be there but we are more focused on week-in, week-out footy," the Cronulla junior said.

"Come the end of the season if we play each week as it is and play like we did last night, grind out games and show some pride in the defensive line that will take care of itself."