Johnathan Thurston and Michael Morgan outstanding as Cowboys batter poor Eels

JOHNATHAN Thurston has found a new partner in fullback Michael Morgan, as the Cowboys battered the Eels 42-14 in Townsville.

North Queensland Cowboys celebrate just their third win of the season.

JOHNATHAN Thurston has found his new duet partner to get North Queensland on song, with fullback Michael Morgan emerging as the ideal replacement for Matt Bowen.

Morgan was a standout as the Cowboys finally clicked into gear with a resounding 42-14 win over Parramatta, with a hand in two tries and running off Thurston with the same dazzling speed of Bowen.

Morgan capped off his fine night with a chip and chase to score North Queensland’s seventh try and take his record to nine tries in his last nine games at 1300 Smiles Stadium.

Kane Linnett celebrates the second of his two tries against the Eels.

Thurston was his usual scheming best, scoring one try and having a hand in three others as the Cowboys ran out seven tries to two victors to claim their third victory of the season.

Centre Kane Linnett and winger Curtis Rona both bagged doubles as the Cowboys started like a slingshot, invited the Eels back into the game to only lead 18-14 at the break, then shot away again at the end for a win that many would hope ignites their season.

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If North Queensland are going to figure in this year’s title race it is widely believed Thurston needs an accomplice, a dangerous playmaker who can take the heat off the Test star to make the Cowboys less reliant on him to generate every single opportunity.

The JT and Mango show had been a thrilling spectacle for the past decade in Townsville, with North Queensland’s best seasons coinciding with Bowen’s better years. With Bowen now plying his trade in the English Super League the Cowboys have been desperate to find a new creative gun to help Thurston and the early signs are this new relationship with Morgan could be a winner.

Curtis Rona scores during the Cowboys’ opening 20 minutes blitz.

It was only one week before the NRL season that rookie coach Paul Green made the risky call to convert the former halfback into a fullback, a forced decision after a season-ending knee injury to new recruit Lachlan Coote.

But Morgan has proven himself a rugby league chameleon, adapting to the role like he’d grown up wearing the No. 1 jersey to the delight of the Cowboys players and coaching staff.

While there are still some errors in his game — blasting a kicking off well beyond the dead-ball line one coach killer — Morgan has done enough to solve at least one of Green’s many headaches with his team this year.

Green’s other issue surrounds the halfback position and for his first run in the No. 7 jersey in about a year Ray Thompson was typically rusty but worked his way into the contest.

Even Matt Scott got in on the action as the Cowboys ran riot.

Thompson has been used primarily at hooker in recent times and his halfback return looked short-lived when he was twisted in a second half tackle and appeared to suffer a medial ligament strain in his right knee.

Thompson finished the game with his leg strapped and provided the deft grubber for Rona’s second try but did enough to suggest Green would likely persist with this combination given his team is now back in the winners’ circle.

It was a pleasing win for the Cowboys and no doubt too Kangaroos Test coach Tim Sheens as his incumbent front rowers James Tamou and Matt Scott both showed signs they were back to their best.

The Cowboys claimed a big win, just their third of the season.

Tamou and Scott’s form had been questioned in the opening two months of the season but their intent was obvious from the first play last night.

Scott was immense in his opening spell. It was his strong surge and offload that gave the Cowboys field position for their first points and then his bulldozing run from close range was simply impossible to stop.

Tamou’s first stint featured 10 runs for 98 metres and when both were on the field North Queensland totally dominated the forward battle.

NORTH QUEENSLAND 42 (K Linnett 2 C Rona 2 M Morgan M Scott J Thurston tries J Thurston 7 goals) bt PARRAMATTA 14 (P Pauli K Sio tries C Sandow 3 goals) at 1300SMILES Stadium. Referee: Ben Cummins, Gavin Reynolds. Crowd: 13,285.