Cowboys

Young Cowboys expect to get targeted

The challenges come two-fold for both players. Hughes will step up from the fullback position at Intrust Super Cup level to the front line at NRL level, while Hess' physical challenge shifts from playing second row in the under-20s to a front-row or lock role in top grade.

Both will line up in their second NRL games, with Hughes making his debut as an 18-year-old with Gold Coast and Hess arriving onto the scene for the Cowboys in Round 25 last year against the Warriors.

Thurston field goal seals epic comeback win

Johnathan Thurston, celebrating his 250th game after over a decade of service for North Queensland, has capped off another memorable Queensland derby with a 75th minute field goal to take his Cowboys to a 19-18 victory in front of a packed out 1300SMILES Stadium.

On the play prior to his field goal, Thurston was hit behind play by Broncos prop Josh McGuire and got up holding his right hip.

But in a moment that encapsulated his 15-year career, Thurston brushed off the hit and remained poised to snap the game-winner.

Kostjasyn injury compounds Cowboys loss

Having started in the hooker position Kostjasyn was forced from the field in the 35th minute on Saturday night after he was caught in an awkward position when trying to make a tackle, Green resigned to being without him for the immediate future.

"His neck's pretty bad," Green said.

"We took him off with the concussion rule but his neck's not great so we'll see how he pulls up but he's pretty sore at the moment.

"He was making a tackle I think. He just got his neck jammed up."

Cowboys admit players may leave

After recently extending fullback Lachlan Coote's deal until the end of 2018, the Cowboys have shifted focus to retaining representative front-rower James Tamou, who was linked in a mid-season move to Canberra this time last year.

As only one of two big-name props coming off contract Tamou is receiving interest from southern clubs, which are looking to drag him away from the north after eight years and over 150 games.

NQ Cowboys thrash Leeds Rhinos in Club challenge

The teams were deadlocked at 4-all after 40 minutes as Leeds threw an adventurous brand of football at the NRL champions but the Cowboys got pumped up for the season ahead by showing the type of patience that only comes with a premiership victory.

The Cowboys scored 34 unanswered points in the second half which erupted nine minutes from full-time when Leeds prop Mitch Garbutt was sent off for punching James Tamou, Tamou himself sin-binned for a slap to the face of Keith Galloway that sparked the hostilities.

NRL Grand Final: Brisbane Broncos and North Queensland Cowboys set to play out historic decider

The all-Queensland angle is a dead horse worth beating as two clubs from rugby league's heartland returning to the game's biggest stage after almost a decade absent is vitally important for the sport as a whole, but it is far from the only reason to get excited about today's clash.

Granville confident he's up to speed

Playing behind a forward pack that totally dominated their opposition in running for over 500 more metres in hit-ups in Saturday night's semi-final, Granville played 52 minutes and a key role in getting his forwards over the advantage line with searching runs from dummy-half.

Seven days earlier the 26-year-old struggled to keep pace in the biggest game of his young NRL career but said it was a valuable lesson in preparing to take on the Sharks in their sudden-death encounter in Townsville.