North Queensland Toyota Cowboys NYC centre Akeripa Tia Kilifi has scored a double in the club’s 10-point win over the Northern Pride in the curtain-raiser to the NRL trial at Barlow Park tonight.
The Cowboys couldn’t have asked for a better start when Tia Kilifi wrestled his way over the line in the sixth minute.
It wasn’t long before he made it a double and handed the visitors a 10-nil lead.
With the home crowd behind them the Northern Pride reduced the deficit when Hezron Murgha crossed.
They then took the lead after winger Luke George split the Cowboys open down the middle to put fullback Linc Port over for the Pride to take a 12-10 lead.
It was a try-for-try first half, before Yambie Bowie sliced through and went untouched over the stripe to put the Cowboys back in front at half time.
With momentum swinging their way at the start of the second, errors proved costly for the Northern Pride as winger Gideon Mosby showed his fleet of foot to race 60 metres and put the Cowboys out to a 24-12 advantage.
The Pride, winners of the Intrust Super Cup and the NRL National Championship in 2014, showed they wouldn’t fold easily as captain Ben Jefferies found the try-line in the corner.
But with six to go on the game clock, hooker Brandon Smith dived over to put the game beyond doubt – Cowboys 30 over Northern Pride 20.
