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Cowboys comeback hands Roosters spoon
Written by: Sunil AwasthiSep 6, 2009 3:54pm
The North Queensland Cowboys have rallied from a 16-0 first-half deficit to defeat the Sydney Roosters 32-16 at the Sydney Football Stadium. The loss condemns the Roosters to their first wooden spoon since 1966 (and their fifth overall), and denied a fairytale exit for two departing Roosters in particular- coach Brad Fittler, and longtime back-rower Craig Fitzgibbon. Fitzgibbon was chaired from the ground by team mates in an emotional scene after a doing a lap of honour after full-time. The fairytale looked likely earlier on a lovely Sydney day after wingers Shaun Kenny-Dowall and Iwi Hauraki scored to give the Roosters a 10-0 lead inside the opening 10 minutes. North Queensland, themselves also condemned to a season without finals footy, had more attacking possession in the fist half, but were able to little with it due to a combination of Rooster defence and their own ineptitude. Things looked even grimmer for the visitors after Willie Mason capped off a semi-spectacular movement with good backing-up to score a try that helped make it 16-0, but North Queensland got back in the contest just before half-time when Johnathan Thurston scored off a tap. After half-time, though, it was mainly a different story, and it was no surprise that Thurston played a key role in making it so. Shortly after Ty Williams saved a Mitchell Pearce kick from being a 40/20, Thurston put Ashley Graham in to score, then soon after that, the Cowboys hit the lead when Thurston made a break and Williams scored off it. The middle part of the second half was a somewhat tense struggle, but the Cowboys ensured the result by cutting loose with three tries in the final nine minutes. Thurston set up Shane Tronc from close range for the first try, then foolish-looking play fielding a kick from Anthony Minichiello gave Donald Malone the chance to set up Willie Tonga’s try. Appropriately, Thurston brought down the curtain on the game by setting up a try of Malone’s own with a cutout ball. The Cowboys ended up outscoring the Roosters 32-0 in the final 42 minutes of play. Thurston was the best player on the park, overcoming a slightly poor first half with a magnificent, ultra-creative second half. Also standing out for the Cowboys were big forwards Manase Manoukafoa and Matt Scott, as well as little men Williams and Malone. North Queensland snapped a finals-denying four-game losing streak with this win. They finish 12th this season, their second straight season out of the finals after they went within one game of the 2007 Grand Final. Nate Myles was the Roosters’ best in this game, but Super League-bound hero Fitzgibbon wasn’t far behind, putting in a typically hard-working performance in defence. However, it wasn’t enough to save the Roosters from the ultimate penalty for an underachieving, ill-disciplined, coach-costing season.
Match Details
North Queensland Cowboys 32 def Sydney Roosters 16
Round 26 - Sunday September 6th, 2009 02:00pm
Venue: Sydney Football Stadium
Referee: Steve Lyons & Chris James
Sideline Officials: Steve Chiddy & Luke Phillips
Video Referee: Russell Smith
Crowd: 10,200
Halftime: Sydney Roosters 16 North Queensland Cowboys 6
Sydney Roosters 16
Tries: Shaun Kenny-Dowall, Iwi Hauraki, Willie Mason
Goals: Craig Fitzgibbon (2/3)
North Queensland Cowboys 32
Tries: Johnathan Thurston, Ashley Graham, Ty Williams, Shane Tronc, Willie Tonga, Donald Malone
Goals: Johnathan Thurston (4/6)
LeagueUnlimited.com Player of the Match
3 Points: Johnathan Thurston (Cowboys)
2 Points: Nate Myles (Roosters)
1 Point: Manase Manuakafoa (Cowboys)
LeagueUnlimited.com Live Commentary
Talk about the Roosters v Cowboys Round 26 clash as it happens - forum discussion - click here!
ROOSTERS: 1. Anthony Minichiello 2. Iwi Hauraki 3. Mitchell Aubusson 4. Sam Perrett 5. Shaun Kenny-Dowall 6. Ben Jones 7. Mitchell Pearce 8. Frank-Paul Nuuausala 9. Riley Brown 16. Shane Shackleton 11. Iosia Soliola 12. Nate Myles 13. Craig Fitzgibbon
Interchange: 14. Stanley Waqa 15. Willie Mason 17. Jake Friend 20. Martin Kennedy
COWBOYS: 1. Ty Williams 3. Ashley Graham 13. Luke O'Donnell 4. Willie Tonga 5. Donald Malone 6. Travis Burns 7. Johnathan Thurston 8. Shane Tronc 9. Anthony Watts 10. Matt Scott 11. Carl Webb 12. Scott Bolton 15. Steve Rapira
Interchange: 17. Manase Manuokafoa 18. James Tamou 19. Antonio Kaufusi 21. Ray Thompson
Well, folks, can the Roosters avoid the spoon? That's the question here today. They need to win to do so. They may have found the right opponent for it: they've won 19 of their 24 all-time games v the Cowboys. But then again, if they were good at winning, they wouldn't be in this situation in the first place, would they?
Last time the Roosters spooned: 1966, when they didn't win a game the whole season. This would be their fifth all-time spoon.
Lovely day at the SFS to farewell Freddy Fitler and Craig Fitzgibbon...
Out come the teams...appropriately enough, Fitzgibbon leads the Roosters out, and the team runs through a banner erected in his honour.
Underway!
1st min: Whoa! The Roosters make a break virtually straight from the kickoff. Ben Jones was at the centre of things there. Cowboys concede a penalty shortly afterwards.
2nd min: TRY Sydney Roosters
The Roosters go right, Minichiello puts Kenny-Dowall into a hole, and it's a try to the Roosters, confirmed by the video ref! Conversion attempt by Craig Fitzgibbon successful from the touchline, appropriately enough.
Sydney Roosters 6-0
3rd min: Kinda weird to see Anthony Minichiello playing again, eh? He's been injured so much lately.
5th min: Silly penalty against Riley Brown and Fitzgibbon for hanging on in the tackle. Obviously the refs aren't gtting into the spirit of the day...
6th min: Matt Scott held up over the line as the Cowboys attack off the back of the penalty. Nothing comes of the set ultimately, though.
9th min: Cowboys get a repeat set of six after a Roosters touch, but nothing comes of it, Ty Williams' kick ultimately going too deep.
10th min: TRY Sydney Roosters
Mitchell Pearce grubber finds Iwi Hauraki for just his second career try! Fitzgibbon can't work his magic from the other touchline though on the conversion, but what a start the Roosters are off to! They are looking like condemning their former coach Ricky Stuart and Cronulla to the spoon!
Sydney Roosters 10-0
14th min: The Roosters have already scored more points in this game than they have in their past two games combined...
16th min: Ty Williams makes sure Shaun Kenny-Dowall doesn't get on the end of a kick, perhaps illegally.
18th min: Shane Shackleton loses the ball around halfway as he goes to ground.
20th min: Cowboys go close, but can't quite score. However, Shaun Kenny-Dowall shortly afterwards slips over in his own half and goes into touch. But then Anthony Watts fumbles trying to pick the footy up outta dummy-half...ah, this is more the sort of stuff we were expecting!
22nd min: 40/20 from Mitchell Pearce! Ashley Graham on the right wing tries to get a hold of it, but no dice.
23rd min: Riley Brown somehow loses it forward to end the threat.
25th min: Ah, dear! Johnathan Thurston's kick is spilt by Minichiello as he tries to take it on the full. Scrum to the Cowboys 10m from the line.
27th min: Hauraki defuses the Thurston kick in the in-goal to ensure that the Cowboys don't score again. The Cowboys have had some powerful running and good footy from their forwards near the goal line, but thanks to a mix of their own ineptitude and Roosters defence, they haven't been able to crack it for a try yet. You know, if the Roosters had defended like this all season, they might be a bit higher up the table...
29th min: Hauraki fumbles a dummy-half pass from Brown that's a bit behind him. Scrum for the Cowboys 30m out.
30th min: Thurston bomb goes dead, and the Roosters survive again. But I reckon the Cowboys were a bit unlucky not to get another set after Thurston's initial kick on the play was blocked.
32nd min: Stanley Waqa gets tackled a metre away from the line on the last...
33rd min: TRY Sydney Roosters
Expansive football up the right from the Roosters, and Mitch Aubusson puts Kenny-Dowall in a hole. Great support play from big Willie Mason on the inside, and after a million looks for obstruction from idiot video ref Russell Smith, it's a try to Mason! Conversion attempt by Craig Fitzgibbon successful.
Sydney Roosters 16-0
35th min: I wonder if they're gunna personally deliver the spoon to Cronulla today like they delivered the Giltinan shield to the Dragons on Friday? Dragons minor premiers, Cronulla last: it's the stuff of many a wet dream around Kogarah way, and that's the way it's looking things are gunna turn out at the minute.
35th min: Penalty against Luke O'Donnell for a high tackle, and the big fella's on report too. The Roosters knock the ball on soon afterwards though.
37th min: Thurston goes the cutout ball to Graham on the last tackle as the Cowboys get near the line again, but he's tackled into touch by Hauraki.
37th min: Big Willie Mason (that's his full name, I think) leaves the ball behind on a hit-up deep in his own end. Another opportunity in attack for North Queensland!
39th min: TRY North Queensland Cowboys
Thurston gets over for the Cowboys, taking it himself from a tap. Russell Smith takes an age over the video reffing call before finally deciding on ref's call. So basically, he took all that time to tell us that he didn't know. Thurston converts from in front. That's an important try, getting the Cowboys back in the match just before half-time.
Sydney Roosters 16-6
That's half-time!
The Cowboys have had more sustained attack than the Roosters, but they haven't been able to take advantage of that. The Roosters have more to play for today, and deserve their half-time lead.
Second half underway!
42nd min: Mitchell Pearce nearly has his second 40/20 of the game, but Ty Williams just saves it from going out of play!
43rd min: TRY North Queensland Cowboys
Nice cutout ball from Thurston puts Ashley Graham in for a try. Cowboys well and truly back in it now. Conversion attempt by Johnathan Thurston successful. Graham made a point of gtting around as far as he could to help with the conversion there. I wonder if those two points will be vital come full-time?
Sydney Roosters 16-12
46th min: TRY North Queensland Cowboys
Super stuff from Thurston! He goes himself, breaks the line, finds support in Ty Williams, and it's trytime again as Williams goes over! Thurston converts, and the Cowboys have the lead! Couldn't possibly have asked for a better start to the second half for Cowboys, or a worse one for the Chooks. Maybe the Roosters will be spooners after all?
North Queensland Cowboys 18-16
49th min: Roosters lose it in the tackle in their own half, and then concede a penalty...but Manoukafoa loses it in the play-the-ball just metres from the line to let 'em off.
51st min: Pearce pass is loose, and Mitchell Aubusson fumbles it to Cowboy Donald Malone (that's an accountant's name, not a footy player's!)
52nd min: Burns earns another set of six for the Cowboys when his crossfield bomb is ruled to have been touched by the Roosters on its way across the dead-ball line. First dropout of the game!
54th min: Penalty against the Cowboys for offisde negates what would have been a third straight set of six for them after they put Mason back into his own in-goal with the tackle.
55th min: North Queensland defenisve knock-on after a series of Rooster half-breaks. Roosters scrum, 10m out! "Roosters" chant goes up.
56th min: Low-ish pass to Nuuausala, and he knocks it on to end the threat!
57th min: Penalty against Ben Jones for a play-the-ball leg pull.
58th min: Defensive knock-on by the Roosters. Scrum to the Cowboys 10m out!
59th min: Steve Rapira knocks on to end the threat...
60th min: The previous match between these sides this year (Round 15 at Dairy Farmers) was a close 'un (North Queensland 24-22 Roosters). This one looks like it could be like that one. Penalty against O'Donnell for a high tackle again, this time on winger Hauraki.
62nd min: Donald Malone slaps a kick out of bounds in defence, giving the Roosters another set. Malone then denies he did it. Sure, Don...
63rd min: Kenny-Dowall is tackled into touch.
65th min: Fitzgibbon gets on the end of a pass and gets hit hard immediately by Carl Webb. Geez Carl, just 'cos YOU didn't get a banner today...
67th min: Penalty against the Cowboys, then a 10m march for backchat. Webb was involved again!
68th min: Roosters spill it 9m out from the line...
69th min: Thurston pulled up for a forward pass.
70th min: Score in the eighth-place derby: Newcastle 12-0 after 30 min
71st min: Roosters have to drop it out, but Pearce goes the short dropout. Roosters spill an intercept to give the Cowboys another set...
72nd min: TRY North Queensland Cowboys
Thurston sets up Shane Tronc close to the line, the big fella rolls over to score, and the video ref confirms no double movement to tell us that it is indeed a try! Thurston makes the reasonably simple conversion to make it a two-score game. Does that confirm the spoon for the tricolours? Conversion attempt by Johnathan Thurston successful.
North Queensland Cowboys 24-16
75th min: TRY North Queensland Cowboys
Minichello is made the look foolish as he can't field a kick, Donald Malone recovers, and Tonga goes into score. Thurston misses the sideline conversion to give the Roosters a glimmer of hope. Conversion attempt by Johnathan Thurston unsuccessful.
North Queensland Cowboys 28-16
77th min: The short kickoff doesn't go 10m, so a penalty to the Cowboys on halfway. That just about does it.
78th min: Crowd: 10,200
79th min: Graham forces an error. Can the Cowboys finish with one more?
79th min: TRY North Queensland Cowboys
Yes they can! Thurston sets it up again (what a second half he's had), throwing a cutout pass to Malone on the winger, and the yong bloke does nifty stuff to confirm it. Conversion attempt by Johnathan Thurston unsuccessful.
North Queensland Cowboys 32-16
That's full-time! Roosters are spooners in the year 2009, no fairytale ending for Fitzy and Freddy! Great comeback win from North Queensland!
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