Round 23
Warriors 26 d. Cowboys 0

2006 NRL Telstra Premiership Index [Table] [Draw] [Player Stats] [Club Headlines]

Location: Aus_NZ > National > First Grade Competition: NRL Telstra Premiership

O'Donnell sent off as Cowboys hopes fade
Sun August 13, 2006
At the end of Round 9 the Cowboys were equal premiership favourites with the Dragons and led the competition outright with 7 wins.

14 rounds and only two wins later the Cowboys have plummeted out of the top eight and now sit in 11th place behind the Panthers on for and against following tonight's humiliating 28-0 loss to the Warriors in front of a paltry 5,425 fans at Mt Smart Stadium in Auckland.

The loss was compounded with the 70th minute send off of Luke O'Donnell for a reckless high tackle and then callous forearm to the head of Lance Hohaia to round off a horrible tackle out of character for the New South Wales state of Origin representative.

It probably marks the culmination of frustration at the club that bubbled to the surface as the Warriors piled on the points.

The Warriors hit the lead 6-0 in the 15th minute of play following a mistake to stand-in fullback Ashley Graham. A simple backline movement saw the Warriors cross through Simon Mannering.

It was extended to 8-0 through a penalty goal before the Warriors struck with a try just before the halftime break to shatter the chances of the Cowboys. The try was scored by Sam Rapira following a deft Jerome Ropati pass, but the try was surrounded with controversy as the Warriors looked to have knocked on earlier in the set.

Any chance of a Cowboys come back was snuffed just three minutes into the second half with Manu Vatuvei capitalising on an overlap to score near the posts.

When O'Donnell was sent off in the 70th minute the Warriors led 18-0 and followed the send off with an immediate try in the corner to Lance Hohaia .. ironically the victim of the O'Donnell hit.

Hohaia grabbed a double in the 76th minute to rub salt into the Cowboys wounds.

It was the first time in three years that the Cowboys have failed to score a point and highlights a season of poor attack by one of the most exciting and potent attacking teams in the competition leading into the season.

Only on three occasions have the Cowboys scored over 30 points in a game this season and with an injury toll taking out key personnel such as Johnathan Thurston, Travis Norton and Ty Williams and attacking weapons like Matt Bowen so out of form he has only scored two tries this season - the clock can't strike the end of the season quick enough for the club.

For the Warriors there is still faint hope of a semi-final berth, as they move within two points of the Cowboys and Panthers. Had they not lost four points due to the salary cap breach, tonight they'd be sitting in the eight in eighth position.

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