Cowboys 38 Eels 14
THIS really was a game of two halves - Brett Finch and Johnathan Thurston to be precise.
As Cowboys halfback Thurston found his swagger, Finch may have found his own piece of trouble in Townsville, after being involved in a lifting tackle on Luke O'Donnell.
Both were equally significant.
Thurston's return to form - for the first time since his double shoulder reconstruction in the off-season - not surprisingly coincided with a form reversal for the Cowboys, who won their first game of the season.
If only Finch found himself in a similar lift.
The Eels five-eighth was not placed on report for the 11th-minute tackle, but the match review committee will study his involvement.
The tackle itself was placed on report, but referee Bernard Sutton warned Joel Reddy and Daniel Wagon.
Thurston kicked seven from seven and was at his scheming best - and for the Eels, at least, was an even bigger pest than the moths which descended on the stadium.
It all happened in the same week that Canberra mentor Neil Henry was confirmed as the Cowboys' next coach, on a five-year deal from next season.
Ably assisted by hooker Aaron Payne, the Cowboys scored more points than they had in their previous three games, and will give their supporters some hope that Graham Murray's last season at the helm is no write-off yet.
It was clear from the opening exchanges that this was not the North Queensland side which fumbled and bumbled their way through the opening rounds.
Largely on the back of Carl Webb in the opening stages, it was the Cowboys who started strongest. That was hardly surprising when one of the toughest players in the competition led from the front.
Like Carl Williams, this Cowboy Carl is big, mean, mad and dangerous.
So keen to be involved, Webb barged into dummy half after three minutes and scored.
He then dragged Parramatta players from the kick-off. By the time the Eels realised the number of the bus that hit them was No.10, it was 12-0 to the Cowboys.
Worse followed, with the tackle on O'Donnell which led to the report.
The Eels were given a clear example of how much they would miss Finch, who has been in sterling form this season, if maybe not quite Sterling form, when he found himself on the end of Tim Smith's grubber after 18 minutes to drag the side back into the contest.
Ashley Graham scored in the 28th minute, again after lazy defence from the Eels, and it was 18-6.
O'Donnell looked to have saved the Cowboys with a wonderful play five minutes out from the break; Eels centre Jarryd Hayne intercepted a Justin Smith ball, ran 70 metres, cut inside - straight into the lock's shoulder and lost the ball.
But two minutes later, Eric Grothe scored for the Eels, again after Finch's good work, this time a looping ball to his winger to send him on his way.
After a tight opening to the second half, Jacob Lillyman finished off a 57th-minute movement to put the game out of reach.
NORTH QUEENSLAND 38 (A Graham M Henry J Lillyman J Smith A Watts C Webb tries J Thurston 7 goals) bt PARRAMATTA 14 (B Finch E Grothe T Tautai tries L Burt goal) at Dairy Farmers Stdm. Referee: B Sutton. Crowd: 19,231
