The North Queensland Cowboys have snapped a 10-game losing streak in emphatic fashion, downing St George Illawarra Dragons 38-26 to end the Red V’s slim finals hopes.
Ahead of the match, Todd Payten opted for a positional shake-up with the club’s million-dollar men Jason Taumalolo and Valentine Holmes.
The move paid off with Taumalolo shifting to prop and Holmes to centre, clearing way for Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow and the Cowboys’ zippy outside backs to wreak havoc.
However, the Queenslanders nearly had their first win since May 28 stolen from underneath their noses after letting the Dragons back into the game despite taking the lead ealry through Reece Robson.
The Red V piled on three tries in response to take a 10-point lead into the sheds, but whatever coach Payten told his Cowboys at half-time proved the difference as they returned to completely blow their opposition off the park.
In a wild eight-minute period, the Cowboys ran in four unanswered tries to completely shellshock the Dragons, and when Tabuai-Fidow crossed over in the final minute, the result was all but sealed.
“Todd was just saying go back to basics, push through, run with each other and we came out with the win at the end there,” Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow said of his coach’s half-time address.
The result means whatever slim hope the Dragons had of a finals berth has now been completely put to bed as coach Anthony Griffin begins to reflect on a season gone wrong.
