BACK in 2006 the Cowboys managed to do something unusual: they beat Melbourne.
Come to think of it, they didn't just beat them - they flogged Melbourne 40-8 in what was one of the Storm's four losses for the season. The Cowboys were truly riding high at the time, backing up from the 2005 grand final loss to destroy Brisbane 36-4 in Brisbane and topping the table until round 10.
It was too good to last.
The teams met again in round 10, with Melbourne winning 18-6 to kickstart two losing streaks: the Cowboys went 6 matches without a win against any team; while it wouldn't be until last season that North Queensland finished on top of Melbourne in more than just geography with a 34-6 win.
Both teams were in stereotypical form in the lead-up to this clash: the Storm clinically disposing of all around them on their way to a 5-0 record; the Cowboys with their rollercoaster LWWLW record, although with a strong defensive effort against Canberra in Canberra the week before.
The game started well for the good guys. New 200-gamer Aaron Payne put in a nice little grubber kick for Matt Bowen to open the scoring, only for Melbourne to quickly reply before putting their foot down. I was keeping up to date on Twitter and the NRL website; every time I tried to listen online Melbourne managed to score another. Likewise, the radio was off when Gavin Cooper scored to keep the half-time score to 12-16.
The less said about the second half the better. Melbourne ran in five tries to one as the Cowboys imploded in a similar way to how they did in the semi-final against Manly last year. While Melbourne are deservedly one of the competition front-runners, the Cowboys need to put together a stronger 80-minute performance if they're any chance of seriously challenging for the premiership.
And hopefully not take another eight games to beat Melbourne again.
NORTH QUEENSLAND COWBOYS 18 (Bowen, Cooper, Tamou tries; Thurston 3/3 goals) lost to Melbourne Storm 42
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