FT: Roosters 16 - 29 Cowboys
Nothing short of a boilover, you’d have to say. The story is about the Cowboys, who are playing with both verve and steel at the most important part of the season. They’re genuinely getting better. Every plaudit you read about Michael Morgan this week will be deserved. It’s well worth forgetting about Johnathon Thurston for a brief second here - Morgan was every inch the superstar of tonight, and you can’t begrudge him his overwhelmingly deserved moment in the spotlight. He drove his team tonight - created nearly everything, kicked brilliantly, made huge tackles, and as they say, he iced the game with a composed field goal to finish off the Roosters.
Let’s deal with the Roosters. They seemed to play without any zip, drive, or enterprise - instead favouring a clinical approach that came up short. Could they have ad libbed a little more?
“It was disappointing to get that far and to dish that up,” says Luke Keary in the post match interview. “We were confident we’d done the work, but we missed the mark...
“I wouldn’t say we panicked. We’d been in those positions before and got out of them, but the Cowboys are quality. They don’t give you an inch.”
Some words from Morgan: “I can’t believe this is happening, to be honest,” he says. “It’s an unreal feeling, very satisfying. How good?”
Asked about his honest thoughts at the Cowboys prospects, he says “we were always confident. Their tries came from a bit of luck. It was important we hung in there, and didn’t fall apart. We kept competing and I’m very proud to be part of this group.”
The Townsville boys move to the Grand Final next week, and they’ll take the affections of every non-Melbourne fan with them. Their ability to keep coming after ceding the advantage speaks volumes as to their spirit at the moment. Make no mistake, they will be written off this week. Melbourne will be deemed too clinical and too ruthless. The Cowboys’ physical state will be questioned. But there’s something deeper going on here with this mob. They’re enjoying themselves, playing without any pressure or burden, and they clearly have a formula that’s working for them. They were too good for the Roosters tonight, and that’s three top teams they’ve now made to look very ordinary.
Thanks for following the blog this evening - what a night it’s been. Forza North Queensland!
Updated
He converts! That’s full time - The Cowboys beat the Roosters 29 - 16. Wow. The Roosters exit with a whimper, the Cowboys just get better. What a story. Some thoughts to follow.
Here was Morgan’s field goal:
Clinical from the @nthqldcowboys.#NRLFinals#NRL pic.twitter.com/gipLF1zykl
— NRL (@NRL) September 23, 2017
TRY! Roosters 16 - 27 Cowboys (Bolton 79)
It’s a party now! Scott Bolton charges past Guerra, who attempted a one-on-one strip, and he crashes over! Incredible stuff. Lowe will attempt the shot at goal. 80 minutes gone...
78 mins: Still the Cowboys’ ball. They’re in total control here. The Roosters offering barely a whimper. 10 metres out, last tackle, and Glanville knocks it in-goal and they’ll get the repeat set! Shallow drop out, and it’s the Cowboys ball. They’re going to the Grand Final!
FIELD GOAL! Roosters 16 - 23 Cowboys (Morgan 76)
Well orchestrated, Glanville fires it to Morgan on the last, and he slots it under a bit of pressure! That should do it, you’d think. Only three minutes to go now. Morgan is a hero.
75 mins: Gordon drops it! They were 40 metres out, there was no pressure on him, and he drops it cold! They’ve been cautious all night, the Roosters, and North Queensland should be able to work it into a good field goal position.
74 mins: They set for a drop goal, North Queensland. Morgan is closed down, so he fires to Coote, who chips into the in-goal. It holds up, holds up, but Ferguson just shepherds it over. The Roosters will get the ball. Inches in it.
73 mins: Another good run from Taumololo gets North Queensland on the front foot. It goes through the hands before a grubber toward the posts. Tupou takes it, tries to stand up and he’s driven back in goal! Drop out Roosters!
71 mins: Taumololo gets up clutching his shoulder. He carries on. Morgan tries to kick it dead on the last but it bounces on its end and Ferguson has to bring it out. Nearly slips away too. They need to chance their arm here, the Roosters.
A look at the Feldt try
The finisher does it again!
— NRL (@NRL) September 23, 2017
Try @feldt092.#NRLFinals#NRL pic.twitter.com/0gwuzXqdrC
GOAL! Roosters 16 - 22 Cowboys
The Cowboys lead by a converted try now, a huge turnaround. Ten minutes to go.
69 mins: And now a penalty to the Cowboys! It’s a strip. Cordner and Waerea-Hargreaves the culprits. Lowe will have a shot at goal. An easy one, just to the right of the uprights. Adjacent to the posts, as they’d say.
68 mins: Mitchell kicks it out on the full! Again! Straight from the kickoff. Dead in-goal. Unbelievable stuff here. Penalty Cowboys, they’ll get another shot at the Roosters’ line.
He converts! Roosters 16 - 20 Cowboys
The toughest kick in the game. Right foot, right touchline, he swings it in!
TRY! Roosters 16 - 18 Cowboys (Feldt 66)
They just don’t stop, these Cowboys! Again, Morgan directs them towards the Roosters left edge. The Roosters looked set as the ball went through the hands, but Feldt had a little space and you’d have to say he overpowered Mitchell to slam the ball down with one hand. Did Mitchell give Feldt too much room? Probably. Lowe from the sideline now...
Is that a try? They sweep across field, it comes to Feldt - it’s a one-on-one between Feldt and Mitchell, and it’s a ridiculously close one between Feldt, the ball, the corner post and the sideline. It looks good - but it’s so, so, close. Does the point hit the ground first? Or the ‘fat’ part hit the sideline? I think it’s a try.
64 mins: Does O’Neill atone? He hits Ferguson low and hard and the Rooster coughs it up! The Cows are 20 metres out now, and Morgan picks it up on the half-volley. Of course he does. Centre field, four tackles left...
62 mins: Was that the boost, or the luck, the Roosters needed? Plenty of time left for the Cowboys to come back into it - it’s only two points after all. The Roosters march all the way down field and a mini-bomb from Keary leaves the Cowboys 98 metres from home after Coote takes the ball.
TRY! Roosters 16 - 14 Cowboys (Ferguson 60)
Totally against the run of play here. Crucial error from O’Neill, that one will hurt. The ball slipped from his grasp pre-contact in the tackle, and Taukeiaho shovelled it to Aubusson, who in-turn gave it to Ferguson. Too much power, and he went over. A try from an error. Can the Cowboys come back again?
Is this a try? O’Neill spills it, the Roosters spread it straight away and Ferguson goes over. They’re going to the video to check the put down. There’s no problem.
58 mins: Couldn’t be more even, this. Just as the Roosters started to exert some dominance, the Cowboys - as ever - respond. It really is anyone’s match, and I’d venture it will come down to playmaker decisions. So far, Morgan is man of the match by streets. He’s everywhere, and here puts up an ‘inside out’ torpedo that’s well taken by Michael Gordon.
Goal! Roosters 12 - 14 Cowboys
Lowe swings it in from the right side, about 15 metres in from touch. Cowboys back in from. This match rising to a crescendo here.
TRY! Roosters 12 - 12 Cowboys (Linnett 54)
And they’re over. Straight after Taumololo’s run, Morgan gets the ball close to the line, has multiple runners outside him, throws the cutout pass and finds Linnett, who just slid to the outside of his defender and crashed over. Outstanding timing on the pass from Morgan there, who is having a brilliant game so far.
54 mins: Taumololo, who’s enjoyed a spell on the sidelines, is back on now. He surges forward straight away and almost breaks the line...
52 mins: A low, driving kick from Morgan nearly grabs a forty-twenty for his side but Gordon’s there to retrieve it. Meanwhile, Michael Morgan has been opened up and blood is positively pouring from his eye, courtesy of a Michael Gordon forearm. Actually a good opportunity for him to put a head bandage on. Every team needs one come finals time.
48 mins: But an error from Ferguson working the ball out, who looked to be taken high. He spills it, and hands the Cowboys six tackles in good position. Quick hands from the Cowboys almost gives Winterstein a bit of space but he’s reeled in. A grubber toward the posts (the Cowboys like that play) then ricochets dangerously before the Roosters dive on it, and work it out of their end as normal.
Goal! Roosters 12 - 8 Cowboys
Low and hard from Gordon, and straight through. The Roosters take the lead for the first time in the match.
TRY! Roosters 10-8 Cowboys (Watson 46)
All Pearce here. 40 metres out, he takes it to the line, shows it inside, makes the defence hesitate, and sends Cordner through on the outside. Cordner draws Coote easily and gives it to the utility Connor Watson, who crosses the line. Brilliant from Mitchell Pearce there. Well backed up from Watson.
45 mins: Quieter moment in the game as the Roosters work it forward, just settling into the next phase of the match now.
43 mins: Great take from Keary, who dived low to intercept a Michael Morgan grubber that was in-goal bound. Replays show a slight bobble, but it was so infinitesimal as to deceive as all. The Roosters put together another solid set and the Cowboys work it out in-turn.
No try. Joey was right. Latrell Mitchell ran the wrong angle, blocked his Cowboys counterpart, and it’ll be a penalty to the North Queensland side.
41 mins: The Roosters are over, or are they? Ryan Matterson is over in the corner - he kicks the ball skyward in aggressive celebration - but Andrew Johns is sure there’s an obstruction. Let’s see.
40 mins: Cowboys error straight away! Coen Hess drops the ball from the first hit-up of the half, handing the Roosters a great chance straight away.
A look at Latrell Mitchell’s try too
Mitchell snatches the ball as the defence lets it go!#NRLFinals#NRL pic.twitter.com/5Iy02U0CL7
— NRL (@NRL) September 23, 2017
HT: Roosters 6 - 8 Cowboys
Well, the Cowboys roll on! They held the upper hand for the majority of the half; one largely played fairly conservatively from both sides.
Both dared the other to blink first in the cautious opening exchanges, with seven completed sets each before the first error. It was Morgan, who has been excellent so far, who fed Te Maire Martin who was able to skip outside Napa and deceive Pearce enough to evade his clutches, break the line and speed his way under the posts. It was reward enough for the visitors, who seemed fractionally more creative in attacking situations, with the Glanville-Morgan duo leading proceedings.
The Roosters, on the other hand, were solid enough in defence, if not a little stale in attack. They were able to bring things closer however due to a moment of class from Latrell Mitchell, who plucked a flat Luke Keary bomb out of the air to cross the line, and Gordon was able to convert.
Feel that the home side will need to chance their arm a little more to break down these Cowboys, who show zero signs of fatigue after consecutive weeks of intense semi-final football. They still have that spring in their step, and it’s the Roosters who’ll have to change something to ride over the top of Paul Green’s men. Morgan is again inspired, and his charges are each playing their roles heroically.
Here’s Michael Morgan at half time
Hear from @michaelmorgan00 at HT of #NRLRoostersCowboys.#NRLFinals#NRL pic.twitter.com/vSJ2YtQkWz
— NRL (@NRL) September 23, 2017
39 mins: A late Cowboys raid on the line comes to nothing after Glanville slipped a neat little ball inside. The tackle’s made, and that’s half-time. Some thoughts to follow.
GOAL! Roosters 6-8 Cowboys
A very good kicker, Michael Gordon. He slots this about 10m in from touch. Was straight all the way.
TRY! Roosters 4-8 Cowboys (Mitchell 37)
And the Roosters are over! Keary with the bomb toward the left side; Linnett tried to block Mitchell but then left his assignment. Mitchell evaded him then deftly took it in the corner to scoot over.
33 mins: Morgan pushes the short pass about 20m out but it’s forward, and it’s dropped, and it’s more relief for the Roosters. They then get the relieving piggy-back
penalty, to the background of ironic cheers from the Roosters faithful. They’ll get a look the Cowboys line here.
30 mins: But the Roosters drop it! The Cowboys back on the march again. They’ve disorganised the Roosters defence again here, and some broken play leads to Morgan chipping the ball toward the posts. It misses, but has Pearce made a play at it? Referee Sutton says drop-out, and it’s not overruled by the video. Another set for the men from Townsville.
27 mins: The Cowboys roll downfield again and get a repeat set. Wouldn’t say the Roosters are on the ropes yet, but the Cowboys are dominating.
The Cowboys spread left and threaten the line again, but the ball hits the deck. A rest for the Roosters, who’ll work it out from their own line.
GOAL! Roosters 0-8 Cowboys
Ethan Lowe adds the extras. The Roosters jittery here, the Cowboys playing with freedom.
TRY! Roosters 0-6 Cowboys (Martin 22)
It was Morgan to Te Maire Martin, who stuttered, offered the show-and-go, and a terrible grab at air from Pearce allowed him through. Napa was the inside man and Martin got outside him with ease. He’s quick, the five-eighth, and he arced his way under the posts in a flash. Will soon be 8-0.
21 mins: And the Roosters’ kick off is over the dead ball line on the full! They advance it up field and a rolled-in grubber grabs them a repeat set. Mitchell’s drop-out is long, but the Cowboys will get a good shot here.
Goal! Cowboys 2 - 0 Roosters
21 mins: Lowe kicks it. Easy as you like. We have points.
20 mins: A Waerea-Hargreaves high tackle gives the Cowboys a penalty. It’s 15 metres out from the Cowboys line and next to the posts. The Cowboys will take the two.
14 mins: Pearce tries a second man play about 40m out with Keary the receiver. It’s beautifully read by that man Morgan and he smashes Keary ball and all. He’s started well, the Cowboys playmaker.
12 mins: Still relatively risk-free here. Both sides going one-out, two-out from dummy half. No real incision. Everyone making their tackles. The Roosters probably shading it at the ruck - they seem to be achieving that roll-on with a little more ease than their opponents.
Both sides perfect through 10 minutes - feeling each other out.
— League Live (@RLeagueLive) September 23, 2017
Follow #NRLRoostersCowboys on the League Live app: https://t.co/nt5dp5H2Ej pic.twitter.com/d8HqcWcYXY
9 mins: The Roosters recover and engineer some field position to allow another bomb for Pearce. This time it’s intended for Ferguson. He charges onto it and momentarily gathers it mid-air, but he can’t hang on to it under defensive pressure. Another change over The Roosters making fairly comfortable metres, though haven’t properly threatened yet.
No penalties or real mistakes either, which means one must be coming.
7 mins: The Cowboys attack the left side for a couple of plays, but it comes to nought. O’Neill briefly wrestles with Aubusson but the latter repels him from the line. Glanville then tries to stab one of those grubbers in from dummy half, about a metre out, but the kick’s blocked by Aubusson’s deliberately outstretched foot. It rebounds into O’Neill’s arms but he spills the reflex attempt. Changeover.
Really hate to do this, but having just watched Richmond storm into the AFL Grand Final, it’s hard not to notice the markedly different atmosphere’s in these otherwise equivalent games. The SFS feels quiet.
6 mins: Forty-twenty for the Cowboys! It’s Morgan. He caught the Roosters napping there, skimming one low and hard into the right touchline. They’re on the attack.
5 mins: The Roosters with a slight territorial advantage here, allowing Pearce to hoist a few bombs from midfield, thought easily defused by the Cowboys back three. Cagey start, you’d say.
4 mins: The Cowboys try to spin in wide on the fourth. It comes to nothing. Morgan’s fifth tackle roost is charged down, but it falls safely to Coote. He checks to see whether there’s six more - there’s not - and he gets his kick away. All very safe.
2 mins: The Cowboys respond with a stead set of their own. They complete it with Morgan kicking to the right corner. Has Feldt picked up a leg injury? More on that as it comes to hand. Andrew Johns seems to think so...
Kick-off
We’re away - the Roosters running towards the SCG, the Cowboys toward Paddington RSL. Both are likely to be there later on, regardless of the result. Strong, steady first set from the Roosters.
Crowd Watch
Judging from this tweet, we can probably expect further media conniptions over Sydney’s preparedness to turn out for big matches. That whole upper tier is bare!
But enough of that, we’re nearly ready for kick-off
Kick-off is approaching!!! #NRLRoostersCowboys pic.twitter.com/0agU0VeVlZ
— Big League (@bigleaguemag) September 23, 2017
Teams
Sydney Roosters
1. Michael Gordon, 2. Daniel Tupou, 3. Latrell Mitchell, 4. Mitchell Aubusson, 5. Blake Ferguson, 6. Luke Keary, 7. Mitchell Pearce, 8. Jared Waerea-Hargreaves, 9. Jake Friend, 10. Dylan Napa, 11. Boyd Cordner, 12. Aidan Guerra, 13. Isaac Liu, 14. Ryan Matterson, 15. Sio Siua Taukeiaho, 16. Zane Tetevano, 17. Connor Watson
North Queensland Cowboys
1. Lachlan Coote, 2. Kyle Feldt, 3. Justin O’Neill, 4. Kane Linnett, 5. Antonio Winterstein, 6. Te Maire Martin, 7. Michael Morgan, 8. John Asiata, 9. Jake Granville, 10. Scott Bolton, 11. Gavin Cooper, 12. Ethan Lowe, 13. Jason Taumalolo, 14. Ben Hampton, 15. Coen Hess, 16. Corey Jensen, 17. Shaun Fensom
The Roosters will be aiming for their seventh Grand Final appearance this century.#IMAROOSTER #NRLFinals #NRLRoostersCowboys pic.twitter.com/zvvBRvVq4L
— Fox Sports Lab (@FoxSportsLab) September 23, 2017
Welcome!
Hello all, and a huge thanks for joining me here as we settle in for the second preliminary final (these used to be called ‘Final’) from Allianz Stadium (from here referred to as the SFS) between the Roosters and the Cowboys.
At the risk of spinning wildly into cliché, there’s a clear favourite-underdog prism here. The tri-colours finished high on the ladder, have had the week off, and will take the field with that double-edged sword of freshness as they attempt to book their place in next week’s decider. They’re a settled side, bolstered by an Origin-heavy, monster pack led by Jared Waerea-Hargreves, Dylan Napa and Boyd Cordner. Their resurrection this year has largely occurred on the back of Mitchell Pearce’s steady influence, and his combination with Luke Keary tonight will go a long way to deciding the contest. In short, the Roosters are as ready and primed as they could have hoped for.
Contrast that with the Cowboys. They’re Thurston-less, Scott-less (he is not playing, not sure he ever was), and playing their best football of the season. Their stellar upsets of Cronulla and Parramatta respectively have surely won them the affection of every neutral supporter tonight, and they enter the fixture riding a wave of luck, goodwill and joir de vivre that may well knock the Roosters from their equilibrium. Where the Roosters look strong across the board, the Cowboys bring that intangible of momentum and spirit.
It’s a balmy evening in Sydney – very Townsville-esque, you might say. Will we witness another Cowboys upset tonight, or has the Morgan express done its dash? I’ll have team line-ups and other tidbits shortly as we count down to kickoff. As ever, hit me with your searing takes on Twitter at @sjjperry or via email: sam.perry.freelance@guardian.co.uk
Kick off in 15 minutes.
Nth Qld Cowboys were putting in the hard yards at training today in preparation for their minor preliminary semi-final against Easts. #NRL pic.twitter.com/fmdUagmmpt
— The Winfield Cup (@winfield_cup) September 18, 2017
Sam will be along shortly. In the meantime, have a read of how the Melbourne Storm booked their place in the 2017 grand final last night:
Updated
