Two tries in the final three minutes and an inspired performance from co-captain Kirra Dibb helped the Cowboys to their first NRLW victory following a 31-20 win over reigning premiers Newcastle at Belmore Sports Ground on Sunday.
Dibb kicked a 40-30 in the first half, a field goal to break a 20-20 deadlock midway through the second half, then set up two of the last three tries.
It was a mighty fightback from the Cowboys, who looked down and out when they were reduced to 12 players allowing the Knights to pile on two tries.
After trailing nearly the whole first half, Dibb kicked a penalty in the shadow of the hooter to give the Cowboys a 12-10 lead at the break.
The Knights jumped out to a 10-0 start after just eight minutes with tries to Sheridan Gallagher and Shanice Parker – halfback Jesse Southwell having a say in both of them.
Kirra Dibb kicks a 40/30
But then a Dibb 40/30 in the 13th minute helped swing momentum. It was the Cowboys turn for some rapid-fire points, scoring two tries in four minutes to centre Jasmine Peters and winger Jetaya Faifua.
The Knights tried hard to wrestle the lead back but both wingers Gallagher and Jasmine Strange were called back, after crossing the corners, for a forward pass in the lead-up.
The Hunter side got another chance when forward April Ngatunpuna was sin-binned for a shoulder charge reducing the Cowboys to 12 women.
Sareka Mooka try 66th minute
Finally the Cowboys cracked. Firstly quick sets of hands down the Knights right edge allowed Gallagher to score her second despite two defenders one her.
Three minutes later and the Knights were in again when prop Rima Butler got a head of steam up and ran 12 metres to cross under the sticks. The scoreboard had floated out to 20-12.
But the Cowboys scored four tries in the final 14 minutes – a double to winger Vitalina Naikore – to run away with the match.
This article contains content that is only available on NRL.com
Match snapshot
- The match was barely a minute old when Knights posted their first try through winger and former Young Matildas player Sheridan Gallagher. She ended up with a double scoring again in the second half
- Knights centre Shanice Parker scored her maiden try in her fifth year of NRLW
- Kirra Dibb kicked a 40-30 in the 13th minute, but the Cowboys were unable capitalise
- Emma Manzelmann, who created history with Cowboys first club try last week, gave the final pass for Jasmine Peters to score North Queensland’s second this week
- Knights prop Tayla Predebon was put on report for a high tackle
- Cowboys prop April Ngatunpuna was sin-binned in the second half for using her shoulder in a tackle
Play of the game
When it looked like the Knights might run away with the game after scoring two tries when the Cowboys had a player in the sin-bin (20-14), North Queensland scored two themselves with Fijian winger Vitalina Naikore crossing in the right corner. But then co-captain Dibb swivelled in the tackle and got an offload away to Bree Chester to score and level scores (20-20). It was a crucial turning point that set up the finish.
Vitalina Naikore try 56th minute
What they said
"The resilience and courage they showed is something you can be proud of and being an inaugural win, you'll never get that moment back. There's been a lot of hard work from staff and players for the last two months leading into that win. One thing with Kirra is, whether she's playing well or not, she just gets on with it. The good thing with good players is they want the ball in her hands, she never dies wondering." - Cowboys coach Ben Jeffries.
"I thought at 20-12 we didn't see the ball too much after that. We made some errors coming out of our end. They turned up and played with plenty of enthusiasm and want. They've put together a great roster, it's a fantastic moment in history they'll never forget. There were some nice individual touches from players but I don't think there was enough team-first actions." - Knights coach Ron Griffiths.
NRLW Press Conference: Knights v Cowboys - Round 2, 2023
What's next
The Cowboys play their first home game of the year hosting the Broncos at Queensland Country Bank Stadium next Saturday as part of a double-header with the men's teams.
The Knights have another away game taking on the Eels at CommBank Stadium on Sunday.