The Serve

Individual brilliance gets Cowboys home

The Knights were infinitely better than they have been in previous weeks, but an intercept try to Ashley Graham has denied Newcastle a chance of a morale boosting victory, North Queensland beating the Knights 34-18 at EnergyAustralia Stadium.

In a another week of high publicity surrounding the club, the Knights turned a 16-6 half time deficit into an 18-16 lead thanks to tries to Cooper Vuna and Cory Patterson, who replaced the injured Steve Simpson before the match.

With Newcastle threatening to extend their advantage, Graham held onto a low intercept and sprinted the length of the field to give the Cowboys a lead they would not surrender.

Neil Sweeney scored in the 65th minute, with Matt Bowen’s sensational individual effort four minutes from fulltime giving him 21 tries for the season. The win guarantees North Queensland a spot in the NRL top four and a home final in the first week.

The Knights remain a possiblity for the wooden spoon, just two points clear of Penrith. “I thought we did a good job for most of the game dealing with their two most damaging players”, said Brian Smith.

The Cowboys have now won their last four games, an ideal lead in to September. “Each game, we’ve gotten a little bit better. Our defence is nice and tight. We’re not on a runaway train, but we are taking nice steps”, a delighted North Queensland coach Graham Murray said.