Supporting North Queensland: Round 5

North Queensland vs Canberra matches for me are like comparing your your ex with your current flame. Every time they come together you can't help but compare the two, admiring one for her shiny new halfback or compare prop forwards.
Last night was going to be the chance to compare the pair's five-eighths - see how the remodelled Jonathan Thurston would look compared to a rebuilt Terry Campese on a couple of clubs that could scrub up very nicely by the end of the season.
The last time the two had stood side-by-side Canberra had rather unfortunately twisted her ankle rather badly, losing Josh Dugan and Campese in the first half. What had seemed like a very attractive first-half lead was suddenly shot to pieces when the Cowboys realised they were being outshone.
This time though it couldn't happen again. Could it? We can compare the two easily?

Unfortunately not.

The Raiders managed to twist the other ankle this time, losing forwards Brett White to a suspected torn ACL in his foot while Joel Thompson literally twisted his ankle in another horror game against the Cowboys.

With only two on the bench the Raiders were always up against it; with Thurston outshining his Raider rival they had virtually no chance. Thurston didn't do anything fancy; just great balls to put try-hounds Ashley Graham and Brent Tate into enough space.

Keeping up-to-date via Twitter and the NRL website there were some anxious moments. The Raiders had a try disallowed at the end of the first half, leaving the Cowboys with a 12-0 lead; later a Raiders' try through Sam Mataora was followed by another trip to the video ref. Had that been allowed the Raiders were back to 12-22 with 5 to go; anyone watching the Rabbitohs-Tigers match the day before would know not cross another miracle result out.

It didn't happen this time. The Cowboys ran out deserved 22-6 winners and moved up to fourth on the ladder - and once again it wasn't fair to compare the ex with the current.

If Thurston keeps that kind of form up though, the current squeeze could well scrub up very nicely indeed.

NORTH QUEENSLAND COWBOYS 22 (Graham 2, Tate, Thompson tries, Thurston 3/4 goals) Canberra Raiders 6