That was a very enjoyable win for so many reasons. Let's start with these few:
"There is no way Canberra will lose this game" and "North Queensland always play poorly against Canberra" or perhaps "the Cowboys are always terrible in those desperately cold conditions of the nations capital".
To Canberra supporters your ignorance is forgiven. You obviously have deep inabilities to analyse the form of football sides and I'm sure you won't be making the same mistake again the next time you confront North Queensland.
Let this be a lesson to supporters of other clubs in the competition. The North Queensland team you will be facing this year is a vastly different beast than the one you've faced in recent seasons. We don't give up and we can win games in any conditions and under any circumstances. Yes, our form may waver but we have a group of players that can score quick points and out-muscle any forward pack.
In regards to the game itself, I felt there was no doubt about the result from about the 25th minute mark. Once our forwards had a chance to assert themselves following a dire lack of possession, there was a flow to the Cowboys game that allowed us to score points freely against a tiring defense. Canberra became a rabble after losing some attacking potency and once Thurston starting exploiting the right side, attacking weapons like Tariq Sims asserted their influence.
The game Sims played speaks for itself. He has all the skills and a head on his shoulders to boot. Having played on the wing as a junior seems to have enhanced his game and now he's joined the forwards he can employ those skills working through the middle. But an important point to make in regard to T Sims is the influence of his brother. He, Ashton and Ashton's wife are all living together in Townsville. They're a family. One cannot underestimate the importance of these factors on the form of footy players. Ashton and Tariq are making each other play better football and North Queensland are a better club for it.
In the end, we should always have won this match if we are to continue to be a top four side. Canberra aren't going to challenge for the premiership and have far too many flaws in their game. Winning these types of away games are the games that top four sides win. Simple as that. We must now look to great improvements if we are to combat a devastating Manly side.
