Bulldogs 12 Cowboys 36

Tragic.

Bulldogs coach Steve Folkes arrived at Sydney airport on Friday morning to be greeted by microphones shoved in his face and a need to defend himself against the wild accusations of a millionaire (He Who Cannot Be Named).

Folkes returns to Old Sydney Town today with the sad knowledge that a club he has bled for is haemorrhaging worse than he ever did. He loses his job in a month and this is not the way a Bulldogs legend should be going out, his name sullied and his heart breaking. Tragic.

Eels mentor Michael Hagan spent a night in hospital on Friday because of vertigo. Folkes must feel like checking into a rehabilitation unit of his own. Whatever Folkes is suffering, though, it ain't vertigo. The Dogs cannot get any lower than this. He Who Cannot be Named is yet to show a skerrick of remorse for doing a runner. Perhaps another ugly loss will prick his conscience. Tragic.

The Cowboys, coming off a club-record 13 straight losses, led 14-0 at the break. Rookie Bulldogs fullback Ben Barba offered a glimmer of hope with a four-pointer to start the second half, but getting out of bed in the morning is a stretch, let alone winning. Even against the Cows.

Johnathan Thurston was named in a crackerjack team right before the kick-off of the spoon-off. Not the Cowboys, of course, but the Indigenous Team of the Century. His mood-enhancer was receiving the honour of making the Aboriginal side alongside Laurie Daley in the halves.

The Cowboys' last win had been in April. The Bulldogs' last triumph was a month ago when He Who Cannot Be Named slayed the Broncos while in possession of a secret.

The Cowboys started the game four points adrift of the Dogs at the bottom of the ladder so another loss would virtually ensure they won the dreaded wooden utensil. The Dogs might beat them to it. Tragic.

You cannot feel anything but pity for the Dogs and the devastation caused by He Who Cannot Be Named. Beyond tragic.

Cowboys coach Ian Millward said his first win in 10 games since replacing Graham Murray was not so much a relief but a reward for the hard work his players had been putting in during their losing trot.

"We've been working really hard and our biggest loss in recent weeks has been 12 points and they've been getting towelled up," said Millward, who could have Thurston back on deck next week against the Gold Coast. "In the end the score probably flattered them. It's probably the strongest team we've had on the park for the last 13 weeks and last week we led 20-10 against a team [the Sydney Roosters] that's going to finish top four."

Millward said he had been pre-warned by the club's former fitness trainer Billy Johnstone that Scott Prince would return from a broken arm for the Titans next week when Thurston could also be back.

"That would be a mouth-watering clash," he said.

Dogs coach Steve Folkes, who did not want to discuss the Sonny Bill Williams saga, said a lack of first-half possession had taken its toll.

"I think it was 65-35 [tackle count] and that takes a toll," said Folkes, who was happy with the players' attitude.

"When we got back to 14-6 after half-time we were still pretty enthusiastic, but we'd done too much defence early."

NORTH QUEENSLAND 36 (T Williams 2 T Burns R Cashmere S Faumuina A Graham C Webb tries J Williams 4 goals) bt BULLDOGS 12 (B Barba A Emelio tries H El Masri 2 goals) at Suncorp Stadium. Referee: B Sutton. Crowd: 8,549.