In the first of four finals matches to be played under the new Walker-Norris final system, the Carnarvon Cowboys play host to the fast finishing Brisbane Bulls.
The two sides named changed lineups, as presented below.
CARNARVON BRISBANE
1: David Riolo 1: Matthew Burke
2: Danny Williams 2: Jason Moodie
3: Mark Gasnier 3: Richie Blackmore
4: Ryan Girdler 4: Shannon Hegarty
5: Nathan Blacklock 5: Chev Walker
6: Iestyn Harris 6: Shaun Berrigan
7: Jason Taylor 7: Allan Langer
8: Darren Maroon 8: Brad Meyers
9: Aaron Raper 9: Kandy Tamer
10: Ian Rubin 10: Willie Poching
11: Ben Kennedy 11: Sean Ryan
12: Paul Rauhihi 12: Brad Thorne
13: John Cross 13: Paul Green
14: Ian Hindmarsh 14: Dennis Moran
15: Andrew King 15: Joe Vagana
16: Shaun Valentine 16: Richie Barnett
17: Ben Elias 17: Robbie O'Davis
It looked as if the Cowboys had made an ideal start when they crossed after only twenty five seconds, before it was revealed that Blacklock had dropped the ball over the line. Brisbane applied pressure of their own minutes later when they won against the feed and Allan Langer hoisted a promising bomb. Thankfully for the home side, Riolo was under it.
The nerves started to creep into the Cowboy camp, with Blacklock dropping a ball which would've seen him in the clear. From the ensuing set, Chev Walker made a huge break, before putting Richie Blackmore in under the posts with an inspiring grubber. The conversion had the underdogs up 6-0.
Only minutes later, ill-discipline from Carnarvon had it at 8-0, after Harris applied a little extra attention to Moodie in the play the ball.
In the 11th minute, Mark Gasnier pounced on a pinpoint Jason Taylor chip to score the opening try for the home side, but Taylor showed uncharacteristic nerves and missed the sitting conversion to leave it at 8-4.
The tension of a finals berth showed soon after, as both sides made fundamental errors. Neither side could cross the line, more through sloppy play than excellent defense from either side.
The Bulls began to asser themselves late in the half, with Moodie and Burke both making scything runs against a tiring Carnarvon defence. Both times it was the work of fullback David Riolo which saved certain tries. The Brisbane defence was also formidable, twice pushing Lebanese powerhouse Darren Maroon into touch.
Carnarvon's woeful first half seemed destined to hurt them after Langer's chip and chase put his side within ten minutes on the first, but once again Riolo popped up to save the day.
In the 37th minute Taylor added two to the Cowboys' score to make it 8-6 after Thorne raked the ball from centre Ryan Girdler.
The scoreline remained the same, despite another scything Chev Walker run almost leading to a try in the corner. A subdued crowd cheered their side off the park, with the Brisbane camp all smiles despite the closeness of the game.
The kick-off came with a roar, as the Carnarvon Cowboys sought to fight back from their 8-6 defecit. They received the ideal start when the Bulls dropped the ball off of their opening set, giving the home side a sniff. Utility cum winger Danny Williams didn't take long to seize his chance, throwing aside Jason Moodie to score a brilliant solo try. The conversion gave Carnarvon their first lead of the match at 12-8, and ruined the Bulls' plans for a dominant start to the second half.
Only three minutes later and the margin was back at two, with Matthew Burke's penalty goal from the half-way making it 12-10.
Both sides took it in turns to produce some exciting attack, with the forwards from Carnarvon showing their dominance over the smaller Brisbane pack. In turn, it was the halves of Brisbane who showed just why they snuck into the eight after their horror start. A particularly promising play in the 47th ended with a Jason Moodie knock-on. The winger made the mistake of not diving on the ball, and Nathan Blacklock swooped on the loose ball and raced fifty metres before being dragged down by Burke. The resulting set of six ended with a Jason Taylor bomb finding the waiting arms of John Cross- giving the home side an 18-10 lead.
The Bulls showed their desperation from the kick-off, when Bradley Myers was sent off for a dangerous tackle. A man down and defending their line, the Bulls soon found themselves fourteen down when John Cross dummied and dived in under the posts. 24-10 was the scoreline, and the Cowboys looked to be in cruise control.
Ten minutes later, the Bulls gave their fans something to cheer about. A Willie Poching fend not only concussed Ben Kennedy, but also gave the big forward some space. An uncharacteristically good left-foot step and a long pass found Richie Blackmore, and the difference was back to 8 at 24-16.
Both sides were awakened by the try, with Carnarvon shrugging off their complacency and Brisbane beginning to look more dangerous with the ball. In particular, Allan Langer threatened, as his kicking game continually pressured the Carnarvon fullback- David Riolo.
Neither side could find points before full-time, despite Brisbane dominating the latter portion of the half. The enthusiasm was there, but the Bulls were continually thwarted by good Carnarvon defence. Beaten, but not out, the Bulls now face Perth in sudden death football, whilst Carnarvon have the task of North Melbourne.
FULL TIME
Carnarvon Cowboys 24:
Danny Williams
Mark Gasnier
John Cross 2
Jason Taylor 4/5
def.
Brisbane Bulls 16:
Richie Blackmore 2
Matthew Burke 4/4
Player of the Match
John Cross 3
David Riolo 2
Allan Langer 1
