Cowboys

Warriors' comeback thwarted by Cowboys kick

The Warriors looked set to overcome a 22-6 half-time deficit when they struck the lead with 15 minutes to go, but a late try to Cowboys flyer Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow and a late Valentine Holmes field goal gave the hosts a 29-28 victory.

While Chanel Harris-Tavita skewed what would have been a match-clinching one-pointer for the New Zealand club, Brown traced their downfall back to the period in which Tevaga was off the park.

The Warriors have now gone down by a field goal twice this season having also lost 13-12 to the Sea Eagles in round five.

Taumalolo out a month with broken hand

Taumalolo will seek further medical advice before deciding the appropriate course of treatment but the club expects the Tongan wrecking ball to spend up to a month on the sidelines.

Former Warrior Lachlan Burr and back-rower Shane Wright have been included in the reserves for the Saturday's clash with the Dragons and will come into calculations to replace Taumalolo.

It's capped a delicate week for Taumalolo, who was publicly questioned by Cowboys coach Todd Payten following a sub-par performance against the Panthers in round one.

Cowboys coach Todd Payten has no regrets at crack at $10m Kiwi Jason Taumalolo

Payten - who made his mark last year as the Warriors' interim head coach - criticised Taumalolo's lack of defensive pressure in the Cowboys' first round defeat to Penrith.

Taumalolo - a New Zealand-born Tonga test star on a 10-year deal at North Queensland worth $1 million a season - made 10 runs for 71 metres, but Payten felt his superstar middle forward should have put more pressure on Nathan Cleary's kick that led to a try for Isaah Yeo.

Taumalolo set for stint on sidelines

The sight of Taumalolo hobbling up the tunnel of McDonald Jones Stadium in the 53rd minute would have sent shivers up the spines of all North Queensland Cowboys fans.

He only managed 41 metres in his 32 minutes on the field in Sunday's 12-0 loss to the Knights, which is far below his usual standards.

In the round seven 32-30 win over the Knights in Townsville, Taumalolo ran for 297 metres in his 70 minutes input.

"It's a calf injury but I'm not sure of the severity. It's a fresh injury – he had no niggle coming into the game," said Cowboys coach Josh Hannay.

Sharks claim first win of NRL season

The Sharks beat the North Queensland Cowboys 26-16 in Townsville on Saturday night.

But the result did not come without some worrying pre-match moments for the visitors, who scored five tries to three on their way to victory.

Six Sharks players, including Kiwis halfback Shaun Johnson, failed pre-game temperature checks, putting their participation in the game in doubt.

All six were eventually cleared to play after passing a subsequent second test.

Earlier on Saturday, Parramatta scored a controversial 19-16 win over Manly.

Cowboys sign Valentine Holmes on six-year mega-deal after failed NFL stint

The Cowboys wasted no time snapping up the former Cronulla flyer, inking a deal until the end of the 2025 season barely 24 hours after Holmes was officially released by NFL franchise the New York Jets.

Townsville-born Holmes, 24, is tipped to don the No.1 jersey for North Queensland after signing the lucrative long term deal, reportedly worth almost $1 million a season.

While known for his prowess on the wing, Holmes played the majority of games in his last NRL season in 2018 at fullback for the Sharks, scoring 22 tries in 26 games with a league leading 26 line-breaks.

Cowboys’ $10million monster Jason Taumalolo breaks own record with huge game

The $10 million man had a previous best game of 283 running metres, set in Round 15 of the 2017 season against Melbourne.

On a rainy Saturday night in front of a home crowd, he smashed his own record, steamrolling St George Illawarra for a total 301 metres according to Fox Sports Lab.

Taumalolo surpassed his own 283-metre record with 12 minutes still to play in the game. It took him 20 carries to do it, which took him to 287 metres for the night. He then had one more to crack the triple century.

Cowboys skipper Michael Morgan put it simply.

Cowboys' Elliott withdraws appeal of six-game ban

Elliott served the first game of his ban this past Sunday against the Atlanta Falcons after the Second U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals denied his request for an emergency injunction at a hearing last Thursday in New York.

A series of injunctions and restraining orders had allowed Elliott to play up to that point, but a three-judge panel decided against another injunction.

A hearing was scheduled for December 1, however, Elliott has instead decided he will serve the entirety of his ban.

Thurston returns to Cowboys training

The 34-year-old North Queensland co-captain underwent shoulder surgery after bravely guiding Queensland to victory in Origin II on June 21 despite playing under duress, in what was the last game he played in 2017.

Cowboys coach Paul Green told NRL.com that Thurston’s rehabilitation had been on track before the club’s post-season break and he had wanted to return early to pre-season training.

“JT had to have some days off through that (rehabilitation) period so he wanted to start a bit earlier,” Green said.

Why Sydneysiders should support the Roosters

The finals series started with such promise for the harbour city with five teams finishing inside the Telstra Premiership top eight, but two weeks later that number has dwindled down to one with the Bondi boys Sydney's last hope. 

Week One of the finals saw the pride of the Northern beaches and the Shire bow out while Sydney's golden West was left reeling when the Eels and Panthers were eliminated by their Queensland foes.