Fullback Yamba Bowie collected two tries in his NYC debut match but the North Queensland Toyota Cowboys were overwhelmed 55-14 by the Sydney Roosters at 1300SMILES Stadium tonight.
Coming off the interchange bench, the 18-year-old from the Torres Strait showed plenty of speed off the mark to score twice in the first 15 minutes of the second half as the Cowboys tried to remedy a woeful first 40 minutes that left them 30-0 down.
With five-eighth Dan Clarke also scoring, North Queensland fought back to 16 points behind, with plenty of time left, but then quickly conceded the next two tries to lose any chance of completing an amazing fightback.
The Cowboys’ defence, which had been much improved in the round nine loss to Brisbane after being torn apart in the previous round’s clash with Parramatta, conceded a try in just the second minute and then let in another five before the break.
Winger Jack Goodsell, who finished the night with a hat-trick, made it 8-0 in the 14th minute before Willis Meehan scored in the 19th and then created a try not long after for Nene Macdonald.
A 40-20 from halfback Delayne Ashby was a rare highlight for the Cowboys, who had a chance to mount some pressure but were unable to post their first points.
Wearing No.6 but playing at fullback, Macdonald made it two with a solo effort in the 34th minute and, with his team completely dominant, Goodsell capped off his two for the half following a shift to the right by the Roosters in the 37th.
Meehan’s second try, that took his team past the 50 mark, was part of a late scoring rush from the visitors who were kept tryless for the first 19 minutes of the second 40.
The Cowboys, who now have a 3-7 win-loss record, lost Bill Cullen to a hip injury in the first half and Kieran Quabba limped off in the dying stages in his comeback game.
