NRL 2021: North Queensland Cowboys beat Brisbane Broncos 19-18, Kyle Feldt ‘no-look’ try, Valentine Holmes field goal

Broncos coach Kevin Walters says the effort shown against the Cowboys reaffirmed to him his team has what it takes to become great again.

Kyle Feldt scored a remarkable ‘no-look’ try against the Broncos. Picture: Alix Sweeney

Brisbane coach Kevin Walters believes he can make the Broncos great again.

Now he wants his embattled players to share the same belief.

Over the past two years, the Broncos have simply forgotten the art of winning and it was Brisbane’s inability to deliver the killer punch under pressure that enabled the Cowboys to steal a pulsating derby in Townsville.

After 18 months of misery, Walters was palpably proud of Brisbane’s energy and effort, but with victory in sight at 18-12 inside the final six minutes, muscle memory choked the Broncos into submission.

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Instead of celebrating a second straight win, the Broncos were left to digest their 24th loss from their last 27 games, prompting Walters to implore his troops to realise how good they can be.

“The ability we have sitting in that dressing room ... I believe in them but I don’t know if they believe in themselves just yet,” Walters said.

Kevin Walters says there was a lot to like about the performance against the Cowboys. Picture: Scott Davis

“I’m very disappointed. For 79 minutes of the game we were the better team, but there were a couple of little things we didn’t get right and we paid a price.

“But this team is going places. I can see the improvement, I see the little efforts at training and that is coming into our performances.

“Once we get the self-belief into the players’ minds, the sky is the limit for us.”

For all their bravery, the Broncos will finish the weekend in the bottom four with a 2-7 record and face a tricky clash against the Tom Trbojevic-inspired Sea Eagles at Suncorp Stadium this Friday night.

While Matt Lodge, Tevita Pangai Jnr, Xavier Coates and Herbie Farnworth were outstanding, the Broncos were left to rue their failure to plunge the dagger into the Cowboys.

With Brisbane leading 18-12 and 13 minutes remaining, Anthony Milford failed to attempt a field goal for a seven-point lead, while fullback Jamayne Isaako came up with some crucial match-turning blunders.

There is no doubt Brisbane are playing with greater line speed and spirit. The next step is executing the one per cent plays.

“Our handling wasn’t up to scratch, everything else was fine,” Walters said. “Our effort was outstanding. I know we aren’t far away from cracking this open and getting some wins.”

Lock Pat Carrigan will have scans on his left knee amid fears he has suffered a possible season-ending ACL injury.

“I haven’t had a chance to talk to the doctor but Pat isn’t in too good a shape,” Walters said.

COWBOYS’ BIG GUNS BREAK BRONCOS’ HEARTS

Brisbane lock Pat Carrigan has suffered a suspected season-ending ACL injury as Cowboys fullback Valentine Holmes broke the Broncos’ hearts in a 19-18 thriller in Townsville.

The braveheart Broncos produced one of their most committed displays in two years and looked to have posted their second consecutive win when they led the Cowboys 18-12 inside the final six minutes at Queensland Country Bank Stadium.

But in a throwback to the 2015 grand final, the Cowboys cheated death again, Jason Taumalolo crashing over in the 75th minute before Holmes stepped up as the hero with a field goal three minutes from time.

Six years ago, it was Johnathan Thurston who landed the field goal to crush Brisbane on the code’s biggest stage. This time, Holmes was the magic man.

The high-octane quality of this contest belied the lowly positions of Queensland’s foes as the Broncos and Cowboys traded blows in another cracking instalment of the code’s greatest derby.

Valentine Holmes celebrates with Jason Taumalolo after the Cowboys' wrecking ball scored the final try of the match. Picture: Alix Sweeney

To compound Brisbane’s plight, the Broncos may have lost Carrigan for the rest of the season after the inspirational No.13 hobbled off in the 52nd minute with a suspected snapped anterior-cruciate ligament.

By rights, the Broncos did enough to snatch the derby. They led 12-8 at halftime and defended magnificently to dominate at 18-12, but were left to rue their inability to snap a field goal for a seven-point break as Holmes showed them the importance of execution in clutch moments.

Hungry broncos

The Broncos are finally beginning to look like an energetic, cohesive football unit.

The morale-ravaged mess under former coach Anthony Seibold is slowly being mopped away by his successor Kevin Walters, whose midweek spray following a sloppy training session is evidence of the standards he is driving at Red Hill.

Patrick Carrigan hobbled off with a suspected anterior-cruciate ligament injury. Picture: Ian Hitchcock/Getty Images

Brisbane’s first half was one of their most clinical in 18 months. They missed just six tackles. Their forwards muscled up. Their line speed crackled with intensity.

The Broncos are playing with greater hunger and the younger core who were battered by last season’s floggings, such as Carrigan and Herbie Farnworth, are developing into more seasoned NRL players.

Lodging a claim

The Broncos have told Matt Lodge he is free to leave due to salary-cap pressures but it would be a mistake to cut him adrift.

Props are renowned for their late maturity and, at 25, Lodge still has enormous upside. He was outstanding in Townsville. This was possibly Lodge’s greatest game in Broncos colours, amassing 143 metres and fearlessly charging into the Cowboys midfield.

Lodge has the aggression to be Brisbane’s chief enforcer, while Haas is a genetic freak. If he wasn’t swatting away Cowboys defenders, he was making last-ditch trysavers.

Kyle Feldt reaches out from a pile of bodies close to the try line. Picture: Alix Sweeney

Feldt puts the ball down to complete a remarkable ‘no-look’ try against the Broncos. Picture: Alix Sweeney

X-factor

Xavier Coates will decide his future in the next 24 hours and Brisbane will be praying he stays loyal.

If he does defect to the Storm, it would be a crushing blow. Coates oozes X-factor. He scored his eighth try of the season and then produced a barnstorming burst to set up Jesse Arthars’ 62nd-minute try.

The 20-year-old Origin star represents everything Walters is trying to develop at the Broncos.

Feldt magic

Coates’ heroics were matched by rival Cowboys winger Kyle Feldt, who opened the scoring in the fourth minute with a remarkable try, holding off three Broncos, twisting, and reaching out to somehow ground the ball sight-unseen.

It was one of the greatest finishes by a winger in NRL history.