Todd Payten, Cowboys coach, has called his team’s performance in the Queensland derby “disappointing” after a 38-12 loss.
North Queensland trailed 20-12 at halftime, but Adam Reynolds’ kicking masterclass caused the Cowboys’ back three to make a stunning 10 errors.
The Cowboys also completed at 56% and made 17 total errors, 11 more than their opponents, who benefited from being given good field position on many occasions.
Payten was visibly agitated during the post-match press conference, saying he was “so disappointed” with his squad.
“Come down to Brisbane, it’s our biggest club game of the year and we just gave our opposition too many shots inside our own half,” Payten said in a statement.
“You can’t; we wouldn’t beat the Temora Dragons that way; giving a talented attacking team too many shots means you have no chance of winning.
“I believed we should have been down more at halftime, to be honest. The most disappointing element of the game is Tommy Dearden’s excellent defensive play.
“One of the nicer ones I’ve seen in a long time, yet we didn’t get any sparks or reactions from it.
“It was awesome, it was a match-turner… pulled him down in the corner and there was a chance for us to get back in the game, we just couldn’t find it.”
Reynolds’ kicking game was a highlight for the Broncos, and Payten was asked if his squad could have done a better job of containing the superstar halfback.
His towering bombs, knuckling in the air, consistently caused fullback Scott Drinkwater to let the ball bounce or force an error from gun No. 1.
However, Payten believes the game has taken the duty of care for kickers too far, to the point that defenders are unable to apply pressure.
