Match Details
Match Date	8th Sep, 2007
Opponent	North Queensland
Result	Loss 18-20
Coach	Steven Folkes
Captain	Andrew Ryan
Venue	Townsville (Dairy Farmers Stadium)
Crowd	24,004
Referee	Paul Simpkins

A gutsy and determined Cowboys side endured wave after wave of Bulldogs attacking raids in the final stages of their NRL qualifying final to rescue a hard-fought 20-18 victory at Dairy Farmers Stadium in Townsville on Saturday night.

Leading by only two points with under three minutes remaining Cowboys duo Mark Henry and Matt Bowen combined to produce the play of the game - a spectacular defensive effort to deny Bulldogs winger Hazem El Masri.

Their momentum in the tackle managed to force the veteran winger to lose the ball just inches short of the try line in the right-hand corner, thwarting what would have been the match-winning try as the Cowboys held on to grind out a staunch victory.

The result came at a heavy cost to North Queensland, with inspirational forward Carl Webb taken from the field in the second half with what appeared to be a serious knee injury which could rule the Queensland back rower out of the remainder of the Cowboys' finals campaign.

Cowboys skipper and Dally M Medal winner Johnathan Thurston teamed up with 35-year-old playmaker Jason Smith to break a 14-14 half-time deadlock, converting his own try to put the home side out by a converted try with half an hour left to play.

The Bulldogs were back in the contest five minutes later when full-back Luke Patten linked up with captain Andrew Ryan to rush past the Cowboys defence with mesmerising footwork and find the line, giving El Masri an opportunity to level the scores yet again.

But the normally unflappable El Masri then pushed his conversion attempt wide of the right-hand upright, gifting the Cowboys a crucial two-point buffer as Graham Murray's side absorbed a tumultuous Bulldogs effort in the final 20 minutes.

Early advantage

The Cowboys took the upper hand early in the first stanza through back-to-back tries from Thurston and veteran centre Paul Bowman, putting the 2005 finalists into a commanding 12-0 lead.

Thurston combined with Bowen and Aaron Payne after brilliant lead-up work from Webb to score the opening points, with Bowman adding his side's second try on a dummy-half run on the last play, using Thurston to distract defenders on the blind side as he barged through a gap and found the line.

But some slick attacking football from the Bulldogs put the visitors back into the contest, with Millard and Willie Tonga scoring a try apiece, before penalty shots from either side set up a 14-14 half-time scoreline.

Even contest

An unrelenting display of tenacity and hard-hitting defence fitting of a semi-finals fixture marked the contest from start to finish, leaving the Bulldogs to reflect on what might have been after they let numerous opportunities to gain the ascendancy literally slip through their fingers.

Lapses in the Cowboys' edge defence were responsible for a host of Bulldogs line breaks throughout the first stanza as interchange forward Nick Kouparitsis showcased his off-loading skills on several occasions to put his outside backs into space.

But Bowen, as ever-present in defence as he was in attack, turned up time and time again at the back to apply pressure and rescue his side in a performance that belied his reputation as a defensive liability.

Source: ABC

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