Cowboys Survive Tigers’ Late Surge In Round 13 Thriller

By Allan Kokwon

The Cowboys survived the Wests Tigers' late charge in Round 13 and narrowly defeated them in a thrilling match.

North Queensland was in control of the first half and had a commanding 32–6 advantage by the middle of the second half at the Queensland Country Bank Stadium. 

Scott Drinkwater (39'), Jeremiah Nanai (40'), John Bateman (13'), and Jaxon Purdue (16') all scored tries early and before halftime to help the Cowboys take the lead. 

Their squad scored even more after another try by Jaxson Paulo (45') and Tom Dearden (57'), and Drinkwater was there once more to convert.

It looked like the Cowboys would win easily because they were ahead by 26 points. At that time, the Wests Tigers were not going to give up easily.

New Zealand's comeback was sparked by another goal from Starford To'a in the 62nd minute. Heath Mason (64'), Charlie Staines (67'), and Jahream Bula (75') scored the first three goals in rapid succession. 

By kicking a few of those goals, Adam Doueihi helped his team gain points and pulled the Tigers within four points.

The Tigers continued to press their line as the game was coming to a close, forcing the Cowboys to play strong defense. However, in order to secure the crucial victory, North Queensland needed to persevere and cling to it till the very end.

The match's first and second halves were significantly different. The Tigers displayed true fighting spirit in the final 30 minutes, while the Cowboys had a strong attack over the first 50. 

North Queensland will be quite happy about the victory, but the coaches may be concerned by how they faded at the end. The Tigers can take pride in their perseverance in one of the season's best endings, even though they were unable to secure the victory.