Cowboys on track to make history
SYDNEY: North Queensland is 80 minutes away from a historic NRL premiership after advancing to the grand final with a 2916 preliminary final upset of the Sydney Roosters.
The Cowboys will meet Melbourne at ANZ Stadium next Sunday in a David versus Goliath showdown.
Paul Green’s men are the first team to make the decider from eighth since Parramatta in 2009, while no team has lifted the trophy from outside the top four in the NRL era.
Melbourne, finishing minor premiers in a canter, has not lost a game in nine weeks.
Twice, the Cowboys were forced to come from behind on Saturday night against the Roosters.
However, star halfback Michael Morgan, who had a hand in three tries, came up with the clutch plays to lead the sentimental favourite into its second decider in three years.
Meanwhile, Billy Slater has warned Melbourne teammates they cannot afford to give pressure king North Queensland an inch in the NRL grand final after an uncharacteristically wasteful display against Brisbane.
The Cowboys have already proven they can turn the screws on more fancied rivals in their upset wins over Cronulla, Parramatta and Sydney Roosters during the finals.
Despite missing key playmaker Johnathan Thurston, the Cowboys have simply strangled their opposition out of the contest, mainly due to the masterful control of playmaker Morgan.
The Cowboys lead the league for completions (80%) as well as forcing more dropouts (56%) and enjoying more tackles inside the opposition 20m zone (954) than any other side this year, according to Fox Sports Stats.
Their ability to apply the blowtorch has the Storm on notice, especially after Melbourne’s attimes wayward showing in their preliminary final 300 win over Brisbane on Friday night.
The minor premiers were guilty of inviting the Broncos into the game in the first half with skipper Cameron Smith giving away seventackle sets with his first two kicks.
Storm fullback Slater said while the side’s was a highlight — after Brisbane was held scoreless for the first time in four seasons — it could not afford to allow the Cowboys to dictate terms.
‘‘Our kicking game wasn’t great on the weekend,’’ Slater told the Sunday Footy Show.
‘‘I don’t remember a game where we’ve given away so many seventackle sets.
‘‘There were probably four or five kicks which went dead. We can’t be giving the Cowboys a set with an extra tackle up their sleeve.’’ ‘