Cowboys forced to repel stunning Tigers fightback
North Queensland have rebuffed an incredible West Tigers comeback to collect their first win in more than a month with a 32-28 victory in Townsville.
Down 32-6 at one stage, the Tigers scored three tries within five minutes in the second half and got to within four points when fullback Jahream Bula crossed with five minutes left on the clock.
Adam Doueihi missed a tough conversion, which would have allowed them to level with a two-point field goal.
It left the visitors unable to complete one of the NRL's greatest fightbacks, just falling short at Queensland Country Bank Stadium in their Saturday night clash.
The Tigers were left to rue ill-discipline in the first half.
Turning out for their first match since the departure of polarising playmaker Lachlan Galvin to Canterbury, they did themselves no favours with both Jarome Luai and Adam Doueihi sin-binned.
Luai had a stint on the sidelines from the 11th minute for slowing down the ruck after repeated team infringements as the Cowboys attacked the line.
While the star halfback was off the field, John Bateman, who had an acrimonious split with Wests Tigers, scored the opening try for North Queensland.
Centre Jaxon Purdue also crossed in the 16th minute while the visitors were down a man.
The Cowboys then took advantage of centre Doueihi making a temporary exit for a professional foul, with Scott Drinkwater crossing for an 18-6 halftime lead.
That margin proved a mountain for the visitors, made larger just two minutes into the second stanza with Doueihi still off.
Skilful second-rower Jeremiah Nanai, backing up from State of Origin duty, leapt high to take a kick and than raced to the line to score his team's fourth try.
While the Tigers looked out on their feet in the second half, the Cowboys' other Queensland Origin stars Tom Dearden and Reuben Cotter also stood up.
Dearden added a 57th-minute try to his two try assists for a 32-6 scoreline.
The tide then turned for the Tigers in the 62nd minute when centre Starford To'a crossed for his second, after a first-half try.
That was quickly backed up by five-eighth Heath Mason, and then Charlie Staines three minutes later, for a 32-24 scoreline to put the Cowboys crowd on edge.
Bula had them on their feet with his late four-pointer but the home side managed to hang on for the win.
North Queensland will move to sixth place on the competition ladder on the back of their first win since round eight.
It's a third straight loss for the Tigers, who sit 13th.
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News.com.au
an hour ago
- News.com.au
The Ray Thomas Blackbook: A recap of Lord Mayor's Cup Day at Rosehill
Racing expert Ray Thomas has run the rule over Saturday's Lord Mayor's Cup meeting at Rosehill Gardens and found a few he reckons are worth following. â– â– â– â– â– FIVE TO FOLLOW Codetta (Race 5) had to ease towards the centre of the track to get into the clear before charging home for a first-up second to King's Secret. Codetta's closing sectionals were the fastest of the day and she can be placed to advantage next start. Island Dec (Race 5 ) was the 'hidden' run of the meeting. She was held up for a run on the turn and had to ease off heels to get to the outside. The race was over at this point but Island Dec ran on to finish only eighth, recording a fast final 600m of 34.27s and closing 200m split of 11.59s. It's no secret that King's Secret has a bright future! ðŸ'' He wins at Rosehill for @PrideRacing and Andrew Adkins! @aus_turf_club | @ProvenTbreds — SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) May 31, 2025 Kerguelen (Race 7) always looked to be in a controlling position and sprinted home strongly under 57.5kg to score a good first-up win from a very game Brave One. The winner and runner-up put nearly three lengths on their chasing rivals. Kerguelen gives @JamesCummings88 and @KPMcEvoy a Rosehill double! ðŸ'° @godolphin | @aus_turf_club — SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) May 31, 2025 Don Diego De Vega (Race 8) was first-up in the Lord Mayor's Cup and his effort to finish fourth was full of merit. The winner, Touristic was far too good, but Don Diego De Vega caught the eye running on strongly late for fourth, recording fast closing sectionals. See the sights! Touristic wins the Listed Lord Mayors Cup at Rosehill, and that's a double to Andy Adkins today! 🙌 ðŸ�† @SnowdenRacing1 | @aus_turf_club — SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) May 31, 2025 Liberty State (Race 10) was never on the track, racing three-and-four wide without cover then went even wider on the turn before unleashing a brilliant burst of acceleration to reel in her rivals for an outstanding first-up win. Follow her with confidence as she has an unbeaten second-up record. Liberty State returns after a spell with a big win in the last at Rosehill, and that's a double to @djgibbons22! 🥳 @HawkesRacing | @aus_turf_club — SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) May 31, 2025 â– â– â– â– â– ON THE CLOCK Hidden Achievement (Race 1) wasn't suited by the slow early tempo but ran on well for third, producing a final 200m of 11.55s, the second fastest closing sectional of the day. A great battle in the opener at Rosehill with Zebra Finch victorious! ðŸ¦'ðŸ'° @JamesCummings88 | @KPMcEvoy | @godolphin | @aus_turf_club — SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) May 31, 2025 Lady Extreme (Race 3) was resuming in the Midway but impressed with her fast-finishing win. She ran her final 600m in a swift 34.60s with a final 200m split of 11.85s. Lady Extreme swoops on them to take the Midway at Rosehill first up! ðŸ'¨ @blakeryan86 | @AlyshaCollett | @aus_turf_club — SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) May 31, 2025 Codetta (Race 5 ) didn't have a lot of galloping room in the straight but still sprinted her final 600m in 34.07s with her closing 200m split of 11.45s to finish second. Both sectionals were the best of the day. It's no secret that King's Secret has a bright future! ðŸ'' He wins at Rosehill for @PrideRacing and Andrew Adkins! @aus_turf_club | @ProvenTbreds — SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) May 31, 2025 Touristic (Race 8 ) reeled off a sub-12s final 200m split at the end of 2000m to win the Lord Mayor's Cup. Touristic ran his closing 200m in 11.98s to win by a widening margin. See the sights! Touristic wins the Listed Lord Mayors Cup at Rosehill, and that's a double to Andy Adkins today! 🙌 ðŸ�† @SnowdenRacing1 | @aus_turf_club — SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) May 31, 2025 Liberty State (Race 10 ) covered so much extra ground but was still able to rip home her final 600m in 34.89s to score a very good win. Liberty State returns after a spell with a big win in the last at Rosehill, and that's a double to @djgibbons22! 🥳 @HawkesRacing | @aus_turf_club — SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) May 31, 2025 â– â– â– â– â– WHAT THEY SAID 'It wasn't a big winning margin but I am sure with a better quality horse to aim at, Zebra Finch is going to be better again. He is the sort of colt that only does enough (but) I am sure if he got challenged there was an extra kick in the locker,'' jockey Kerrin McEvoy said. 'The race lacked tempo, it was a sit and sprint. Adam (Hyeronimus, jockey) is adamant that when you can put the bit in his mouth a little bit better, he'll have a better turn of foot. Adam is strongly pushing for Chris (Waller to go to Brisbane with him). He said 'I don't care if I ride him or not but you should be running the horse in the JJ', that's his opinion','' stable representative Charlie Duckworth said. 'Today was my first time on Kerguelen 's back and he really took my eye in the parade. He's a nice horse and gave me a really good feel. He travelled like the winner during the race and to dig in first up at the 1200m like that was a good effort,'' jockey Kerrin McEvoy said. ' King's Secret switched right on today, showed good speed, travelled the whole way and when I asked for him, there was plenty there. He showed a good turn of foot so that's nice to know that he can handle a wet track like that. It's opens more doors going forward,'' jockey Andrew Adkins said. 'Any stakes winner is rewarding but to get two winners back in town today is very satisfying and it helps build that confidence. I've been back at the provincials for a while now and I've had great success there. It's been great for my confidence and now as we head into the winter months, the opportunities to come back and ride in town are opening up and like today, I've made the most of some really great opportunities,' Adkins again after winning the Lord Mayor's Cup on Touristic. â– â– â– â– â– STEWARDS SAY Maori Chief (Race 4) was hampered near the 250m when obliged to shift in away from the heels of Kundabung but was still very disappointing in the manner in which it gave ground in the home straight. A post-race veterinary examination did not reveal any abnormalities. Pure Alpha (Race 6) was inconvenienced near the 1400m when carried out by Forecast. Pure Alpha had some difficulty obtaining clear running prior to the 200m then just prior to the finish line became unbalanced due to contact from Little Cointreau, which shifted in. Sir Lucan (Race 8 ) was expected to settle in a prominent position, however, due to crowding at the start between Shahzad and Kadavar, Sir Lucan was required to settle near the rear of the field. Kadavar was severely crowded on jumping between Sir Lucan and Speycaster, which jumped in abruptly, and, as a consequence, settled at the rear of the field. Liberty State (Race 10 ), the eventual winner, raced three and four wide and without cover throughout the event. Summer Flame (Race 10 ) was bumped on jumping then travelled satisfactorily through the early and middle stages, however, when placed under pressure she gave no response and made an audible respiratory sound. When Summer Flame commenced to give ground abruptly from the 200m she was eased the filly down over the final stages of the race. A post-race veterinary examination revealed the mare to be lame (1/5) in the off-foreleg. â– â– â– â– â– NSW RACING – THE WEEK AHEAD Monday: Corowa, Warren Tuesday: Kembla Grange, Moree Wednesday: Warwick Farm Thursday: Taree, Wagga Wagga Friday: Dubbo Saturday: Royal Randwick, Newcastle Sunday: Wyong, Sapphire Coast â– â– â– â– â– ROSEHILL SNAPSHOT – RON DUFFICY RUN OF THE DAY Kerguelen resumed off a long spell in testing conditions doing an admirable job winning. He probably has the most upside moving forward to go through his grades. FORGET THEY RAN Pure Alpha hit more than a couple of snags in the run never really getting fully balanced. Given a clear run with momentum he probably would have won. HORSE TO FOLLOW It's hard to get carried away following horses off wet tracks but King's Secret and Liberty State  were both quite dominant in their wins on the day and have more to offer.
News.com.au
an hour ago
- News.com.au
Racebook: Gilbert Gardiner's follow and forgive files from Caulfield
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7NEWS
an hour ago
- 7NEWS
Oscar Piastri powers to brilliant Spanish Grand Prix victory and extends F1 title lead
Australia's Oscar Piastri has won the Spanish Grand Prix ahead of his teammate Lando Norris as McLaren continued their early dominance of the Formula 1 championship. The 24-year-old Melburnian banked his fifth win of the campaign on Sunday, flying away from pole position and executing a flawless race to extend his lead in the driver standings. Briton Norris crossed behind Piastri after he recovered from a bad start, while Charles Leclerc of Ferrari was third. It was the third McLaren one-two of the season and the team's seventh win in nine races, with Piastri taking five of those victories. 'It's a nice way to bounce back from Monaco. A superb weekend,' said Piastri, who finished third last weekend in a race won from pole by Norris. Piastri's win, by 2.4 seconds, which came despite a late safety car, has extended his title advantage over Norris from three points to 10. 'We executed everything we needed to. I am really enjoying it,' Piastri added. 'The pace was good and we could turn it on when we needed to. The team gave me a great car and winning races is a lot of fun.' Norris said: 'Oscar drove a very good race. I didn't have the pace to match him but I gave it my best shot.' 'It's a long race, anything could have happened at the end of the race,' he said. 'We both got pretty sideways with the safety car restart. It was a good, fun race and for us as a team to finish one-two is even better.' World champion Max Verstappen crossed fifth but was dropped to 10th place after he was given a 10-second penalty for colliding with Mercedes' fourth-place finisher George Russell late on. Verstappen, who made four stops in total and ended up on the slower hard tyres against rivals on softs, collided with Leclerc and twice with Mercedes' Russell after the safety car restart. The Dutch driver and Leclerc also faced a post-race investigation for their clash that could lead to further sanctions. 'I tried to push him to the left, there was a bit of contact but fortunately no consequences,' said Leclerc. Sauber's Nico Hulkenberg finished fifth for the future Audi team after passing Ferrari's seven-times world champion Lewis Hamilton on the penultimate lap. Hamilton was a disappointing sixth, Isack Hadjar seventh for Racing Bulls and Pierre Gasly eighth for Renault-owned Alpine. Home hero Fernando Alonso scored his first points of the season with Aston Martin, who had only one car on the grid due to Lance Stroll's withdrawal through injury after Saturday's qualifying. Piastri led away cleanly at the start with Verstappen seizing second from Norris while Hamilton and Leclerc moved up to fourth and fifth as Russell lost out. Hamilton let Leclerc through on lap 10 of 66 after the two Ferraris had run nose to tail. Norris took back second place from Verstappen on lap 13, the Dutch driver making no attempt to defend against the quicker McLaren and pitting in the next lap for fresh tyres. Verstappen took the lead again on lap 23 after Piastri pitted, with Norris making his first stop on lap 21 and coming out behind the Red Bull, but that lasted only until Verstappen pitted for a second time on lap 30. He came in for a third stop on lap 47 but Norris pitted the lap after to defend second place. A safety car deployment on lap 55, after Italian rookie Kimi Antonelli beached his Mercedes in the gravel, bunched up the field and triggered a rash of stops. The McLarens came in together for fresh tyres, double-stacking, and resumed ahead of Verstappen who questioned the switch to a set of hards but was told that was the only option available.
