The Cowboys have overcome an early 10-point deficit to secure their maiden NRLW win over the Knights.
The defending premiers burst out of the gate, scoring their first of the afternoon in the opening minute.
They extended the lead not long after, but back-to-back tries of their own, and then a late penalty goal, saw the Cowboys hit the sheds with a two-point lead.
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After the break, the Cowboys lost April Ngatunpuna to the bin for a late hit on Jesse Southwell.
With the advantage, the Knights reclaimed and stretched the lead to eight points.
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But from there it was all North Queensland. The expansion side, playing in just their second ever NRLW game, scored four tries in the final 13 minutes to record a 31-20 win.
Cowboys coach Ben Jeffries praised his side’s resilience.
“That’s two weeks in a row we’ve had to defend with 12 players on the field and we’ve done really well,” he said on Nine’s coverage.
“When they got in front it was going to be hard to fight back, but we showed a lot of grit, determination and resilience, this group. Hopefully it follows into the coming weeks.”
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Jefferies hailed Dibb’s professionalism in a game that was not yet fully professional.
“She’s great to work with and gives good, honest feedback,” he said.
“We have a good relationship on and off the field and I’m super proud of her. That was an outstanding effort from her and her teammates.”
He said the working-class nature of the Townsville population goes some way to explaining his stars never-give-up attitude.
“They are taught to compete all the time, as other teams are, but there is certainly things in our game we expect from our players in North Queensland.”
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