It was a classic Queensland derby for the ages, and Kevin Walters’ battered Broncos secured an impressive 38-12 victory over the Cowboys.
It was a clash littered with highlight plays, but one stood out from the bunch, with a Tom Dearden tackle stunning the Suncorp Stadium crowd.
Scott Drinkwater threw a wayward pass in the second half, falling into the lap of centre Selwyn Cobbo who looked an almost certainty to score.
MATCH CENTRE: Brisbane Broncos vs North Queensland Cowboys, live scores
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But Dearden had other ideas and charged from the other side of the field to drag Cobbo across the sideline at the very last second.
“Unbelievable. Tom Dearden. A tackle from heaven… this is an extraordinary chase. That goes into the annals of great try-saving tackles,” Dan Ginnane said.
“Tom Dearden was in the middle of the field. He has made up all that ground.”
His effort though, failed to inspire his North Queensland side to victory over a team that were without Reece Walsh, Payne Haas and Brendan Piakura.
Brisbane recorded the first points only two minutes into the clash, with Billy Walters throwing a big dummy to dive over the line.
The next four-pointer came from Jesse Arthars who flew onto a Fletcher Baker pass to score in the corner.
But the Cowboys hit back quickly, with Valentine Holmes charging his way over before the Broncos responded.
Kotoni Staggs scooped up a perfect Adam Reynolds grubber with an impressive finish, but the seesawing continued.
Drinkwater then got his name on the scoresheet, finishing off an effort that included multiple offloads, beating Ezra Mam to score in the corner.
Tyson Smoothy then scored the first try of the second period, before Ezra Mam stole the show, recovering his own grubber for a smart four-pointer.
Corey Oates put the finishing touches on the game, scoring from another Reynolds kick, recording his first try for 18 months.
Read below for all the big talking points out of Brisbane’s big win!
REYNOLDS’ KICKING MASTERCLASS
Adam Reynolds was a huge inclusion for the Broncos and he used his full arsenal of kicks on Friday night, leaving the Cowboys “terrified”.
He was sidelined in Round 3 after suffering a knee injury, but returned with a vengeance and put North Queensland’s back three on notice.
Reynolds delivered towering bombs that knuckled as they sailed across Suncorp Stadium, forcing several errors that saw Scott Drinkwater fail to make an effort to catch several kicks.
Not only did he use his bombs though, he also delivered a perfect grubber for centre Kotoni Staggs to scoop up and score.
Then late in the game he put in a deft kick for Corey Oates to charge on to and score his first try in 18 months.
“We spoke about the importance and the inclusion of Adam Reynolds… it has been a kicking exhibition, he has kicked them off the park,” Michael Ennis said.
“They are terrified, they’ve got the wobbly boots here at Suncorp Stadium, Drinkwater, Taulagi and Feldt all have trouble under the high ball.
“His high kicking game has caused them plenty of problems… he has got them in panic mode, he’s doing a job on them,” Greg Alexander added.
The ‘little master’ finished with three try assists, 657 kicking metres and 38 possessions in a fine performance.
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SAILOR DELIVERS IN WALSH’S ABSENCE
Every time he’s called upon Tristan Sailor delivers for the Broncos.
Reece Walsh has been sidelined with a facial fracture and Kevin Walters knew he had a ready-made fullback that could deliver in the No.1.
Sailor, who has only played 10 NRL games to date, was excellent for the Broncos and got through a mountains of work.
What’s more is that he’s happy to fill a gap for the Broncos, who could potentially push for a premiership after having their collective hearts broken by the Panthers in 2023.
“Tristan Sailor is a conundrum because he is stuck behind Reece Walsh, but every time we see him he is top shelf,” Dan Ginnane said.
“He’s spoken in recent times about the speech Tom Brady gave a couple of months ago when he was touring here, he talked about his playing days at the University of Michigan.
“He couldn’t start but he stayed patient, he could have moved but he didn’t want to move, and Tristan has taken that same attitude.
“He wants to be here, he loves this club and he is happy to stay here and bide his time. But it must get hard.”
“Reece Walsh is electric, there’s not too many players like him, but they’ve got great back up here if he misses many games,” Cooper Cronk said.
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Fair call or double standards? | 01:30
DEARDEN‘S ORIGIN CREDENTIALS
There’s an injury cloud lingering over Maroons regular Cameron Munster.
He’s yet to take the field this year due to a groin injury suffered in a freak shower accident, however he could return in Round 5 if he gets through training unscathed.
Regardless, Munster’s injury doubts are lingering and Tom Dearden has done everything he can to be in the Origin frame.
The Cowboys five-eighth made his debut in the 2022 series decider, steering the Maroons to victory with an impressive performance on the biggest stage.
Now it seems Dearden has been improving week by week and he delivered a tackle for the ages to stop Selwyn Cobbo scoring a full-field try.
He also recorded one tackle break, two offloads and a linebreak in an impressive performance in a losing team.
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