Eels v Cowboys: Five things we learned

ONE man sums up North Queensland’s incredible past fortnight — check out what we learned from the Cowboys’ shock semi-final triumph.

Ethan Lowe is met by Corey Norman and the Eels defence.

NORTH Queensland have moved within 80 minutes of an unlikely NRL grand final appearance after shocking Parramatta.

Here’s what we learned from the Cowboys’ 24-16 semi-final triumph.

1 — THREE weeks ago, the Cowboys were facing the possibility of missing the finals altogether. Now they are just one game away from the grand final. While most teams would have buckled under the kind of pressure North Queensland have faced this year, they have continued to defy the odds and showed why they are no longer a one or two man team.

2 — THE Cowboys’ efforts over the last few weeks could have been summed up by one player. Ethan Lowe is not one who always gets the recognition, but he put his body on the line a number of times to send his side through to a finals showdown with the Roosters. It was the kind of performance that cannot be summed up by statistics — it was gutsy and proud and exactly what his teammates needed to see.

Ethan Lowe is met by Corey Norman and the Eels defence.

3 — JASON Taumalolo just cannot be stopped. He went into half-time with the most metres of any forward (118m) and was leading the tackle count for the Cowboys with 19. He also did not miss a tackle in the first stanza. He finished with 236m and 33 tackles.

4 — THE Cowboys have continually been praised for their bravery this season and it was on display once again. Antonio Winterstein, who is already playing with a sore hamstring, copped a knock to the ribs early in the first half but battled on even though he appeared to struggle at moments. Coen Hess also pushed on after suffering a knock to his knee right before half-time.

5 — THERE is just one NSW team left in finals contention. With Melbourne, Brisbane and North Queensland all alive and well, the Sydney Roosters are left flying the flag for the state with the most NRL teams. It will be the Cowboys’ job next week to stop them.

Originally published as Eels v Cowboys: Five things we learned