NRL 2022: North Queensland Cowboys win 36-16 over Newcastle Knights | Match Report
The Cowboys have confirmed their status as genuine premiership contenders, with several stars further pushing claims for Origin selection, while the Knights slumped to their seventh straight loss.
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Two slick and smart game breaking plays by boom Cowboys 19-year-old backrower Jeremiah Nanai inspired a 36-16 comeback win over the hapless Knights and furthered his growing claims for a Maroons debut.
The Knights, inspired by a reborn skipper Kalyn Ponga, held a shock 16-12 lead at the break before Nanai’s game awareness and Chad Townsend’s game management changed the game. Just after halftime Nanai wisely called for a captain’s challenge and the replays showed Knights half Phoenix Crossland had grazed a Nanai pass and knocked-on. The Cowboys scored from the next set and never looked back, consigning the Knights to a seventh consecutive loss.
Nanai, who had been quiet in the first half, then scored a try that showcased his incredible skill when he put two right foot steps on Ponga and Mat Croker to put the result beyond doubt.
“Back-rowers aren’t supposed to move like that. That’s special,” Fox League’s Michael Ennis said in commentary.
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COWBOYS STRIKEPOWER
The Cowboys retained their grip on third position and it was their big game playmakers who once again came to the fore. Veteran half Townsend showed what a great buy he has been again with four try assists, with his pinpoint kicking and organisation a huge factor in the second half.
Electric Cowboys fullback Scott Drinkwater unfurled a scintillating spiral cut-out pass to send Kyle Feldt over untouched, his eighth try assist in five games.
It followed a sneaky and crucial grubber that secured his side a repeat set and once again highlighted his outrageous skills and sky-high confidence. Drinkwater’s habit of letting bombs bounce in front of him rather than catching them are a worry, but he showed toughness to come back from a nasty knock to the head to help inspire a second-half comeback.
Winger Murray Taulagi scored a second-half double and Jason Taumalolo continued his rich vein of form with a blockbusting opening. One of Taumalolo’s barnstorming runs stunned the Knights with Daniel and Jacob Saifiti carried on the inspired Tongan international’s back. David Klemmer hopped on and he too was carted towards the goalposts.
“Coming off a few lean years we wanted to turn it around and we have got something going at the moment that is really special,” Townsend said of the Cowboys’ fourth win on the trot. “I did the whole pre-season with [Nanai] and I thought he was 24. He has blown me away, just a very humble kid who works hard at his game. He competes on everything. If I put the [kicks] in the right place he scores. He is a freak. He is going to be special.”
PONGA RESPONDS
Ponga responded with class after he copped plenty of stick for two lacklustre displays following his multimillion-dollar extension with the Knights. Against his old club Ponga, who was named at fullback but slotted in on occasions at first receiver in attack, was on a mission to make a mark on the game. The first try he created for Dominic Young was the Knights first in 191 minutes of football and gave them a huge confidence injection. Ponga’s return to form was a good sign for the Maroons but the Knights lacked the polish to make the most of his creativity.
After 39-2 and 50-2 thrashings in the past two weeks the Knights, who lost Tyson Frizell to illness before kick-off, responded with a committed opening but errors and defensive lapses cost them in the second stanza where they lost Jack Johns (arm) and Edrick Lee (concussion).
“There was a ton of effort in parts of our game but we’ve got to get smarter,” Knights coach Adam O’Brien said. “Some experience coming back next week will help, but you’ve still got to hold individuals accountable.”
NANAI ORIGIN CLAIMS
Nanai has the backing of his coach Todd Payten to handle State of Origin if called on by Maroons coach Billy Slater. With seven tries in nine games this year, Nanai’s timing might be good with recent injuries to Maroons back-rowers David Fifita (knee) and Jaydn Su’A (ankle). He is making a habit of big game plays and once he irons out a few defensive lapses Nanai is set for a lengthy representative career.
HOW COWBOYS TURNED PONGA DISASTER INTO NEW ERA
—Travis Meyn, Peter Badel
Kalyn Ponga’s decision to quit the Cowboys has enabled North Queensland to assemble an NRL title-contending roster with the hottest young players in the game.
Ponga will come up against the club which blooded him in the NRL when his struggling Knights take on the Cowboys at Queensland Country Bank Stadium on Saturday night.
If the Cowboys had it their way, Ponga would be wearing North Queensland’s No. 1 jersey instead of starting at fullback for the last-placed Newcastle.
But his decision to quit the Cowboys and join the Knights in 2018 was a sliding doors moment that triggered a reset in Townsville.
After four tough seasons, the Cowboys are now in the NRL’s top four and the competition’s most improved team of 2022.
And a lot of that has to do with the roster they have been able to compile without having Ponga on their books.
The Knights poached Ponga on a huge $3 million deal and he last month inked a $6 million contract to remain at Newcastle for the next five years, becoming one of the NRL’s highest-paid players.
It was a tough pill to swallow for the Cowboys at the time.
“Kalyn was the talented kid that, as a scout, you walk into a ground hoping to find,” said former Cowboys recruitment chief Clint Zammit, now at Newcastle.
“Some kids you need 10 looks before you are convinced. Some you only need one. I only needed one with Kalyn.
“I built a good relationship with Kalyn and his parents and that relationship is still strong today. Funnily enough, we are now at the Knights together, I never expected that.
“Initially, I signed Kalyn as a player manager, then I left that industry and moved into a recruitment role with the Cowboys 18 months later. Straight away I wanted to get Kalyn to the club. I knew he could be a long-term fullback at the Cowboys.
“He played in the Cowboys under-20s as a 17-year-old and some of the things he did in game was simply unbelievable. He dominated that comp three years younger than everyone.
“In our succession plan, I thought Kalyn would be the Cowboys’ long-term fullback. In time, potentially he could have played six, but I always thought he was perfectly suited to fullback.
“I was still at the Cowboys when he left. I don’t want to say much about why he left, but it was very hard when he left. I was pretty gutted because I had built a bond with Kalyn and his family, so it’s quite surreal to be back with him at the Knights.
“There were a lot of factors in him leaving. It wasn’t just about the money. I think he liked the challenge of joining the Knights, who were struggling, and trying to turn them into a premiership club.”
The Cowboys had budgeted big money to keep Ponga, so his decision to walk after the 2017 season freed up significant funds in North Queensland’s salary cap.
Stars Michael Morgan (forced into retirement by injury) and Jason Taumalolo secured long-term deals while the Cowboys brought Valentine Holmes back from the NFL.
But it is the club’s investment in junior development that is now starting to reap rewards and the Cowboys are doing well to keep their top talent in Townsville.
Jeremiah Nanai and Heilum Luki are the hottest young backrowers in the NRL while the Cowboys are oozing with backline talent in Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow, Murray Taulagi and Tom Dearden.
Young forwards Reuben Cotter, Tom Gilbert and Griffin Neame have improved dramatically to give the club a perfect balance between youth and experience.
As the Cowboys headed for a 15th-place finish last year, coach Todd Payten made a decision to blood young talent instead of chasing cheap wins.
“That was a decision based on what was going to happen in the future,” Payten said.
“We got some extra games into Heilum, Jeremiah, Griffin and left some experienced players out.
“They are better for it. They understand and know how to get the job done now. A lot of that is based on what they experienced last year.”
Club figures were confident the next generation of Cowboys would eventually thrive under Payten and they are now being vindicated after some lean seasons.
Zammit, who personally spotted 10 of the 17 Cowboys playing tonight, said it was an exciting time for North Queensland.
“Even though I’m now at Newcastle, it’s been pretty satisfying to see so many of them come through to do well at the Cowboys,” he said.
“I knew this was a special group. When I was there, internally we believed we had a special generation coming through.
“I’m really proud to see them kick on and it’s not just me, the Cowboys as a club do great work with their development. I may have spotted them, but the coaches and development guys like Glenn Hall and Ben Jeffries deserve credit for bringing them all through.
“I’ve seen these guys since they were 15 year olds, so to see them mature and graduate to the NRL is great. That’s why you do the job and as an NRL club, it’s your charter to educate kids to become professional footballers.”
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