Accor Stadium: A sickening high shot by Coen Hess on Campbell Graham compounded a horror night for North Queensland.
The Cowboys needed to beat the Rabbitohs on Saturday night to remain second on the NRL ladder, with a qualifying final in their Townsville backyard up for grabs.
But Todd Payten’s men, who finished the game with 11 players, lost 20-10 to South Sydney and were leapfrogged by the Sharks.
It now looks inevitable they will be without fiery forward Hess for a few weeks, even though the league world was split on whether he should have been binned.
The tackle drew immediate comparisons to Cronulla Dale Finucane’s head clash with Stephen Crichton earlier this year.
What may work in Hess’ favour is the fact Graham was checked on field and allowed to play on.
“From our point of view, Campbell Graham didn’t come off for a HIA, and I’m not sure if he was hit in the head or not; that’s the part we’re confused about,” Cowboys coach Todd Payten said.
“You can’t compare that to Dale Finucane’s tackle. They’re poles apart in my opinion.”
Phil Gould let rip on Nine’s post-match commentary and said: “He [Hess] hasn’t hit him in the head … I just see it as a really good body tackle. What do you want the game to look like if that’s illegal?”
Gould added a worse option for Hess would have been to go low and risk being knocked out like Victor Radley was the previous night.
The Cowboys trailed 14-10, and needed a big play to keep Souths camped deep in their own end. Hess got it wrong and Souths players let him know it by shoving him to the ground.
Cody Walker celebrates an Alex Johnston try.Credit:Getty
Payten was also unhappy with the number of HIA stoppages, especially when the Cowboys were on the attack.
At one stage late in the second half, Souths halted play to check on Junior Tatola, which prompted Jason Taumalolo to ask referee Gerard Sutton: “Do busted ribs count as HIAs?”
Souths coach Jason Demetriou defended his medical team and said about Payten: “I think he has a habit of complaining about stuff. Our medical team are as diligent and respectful to the rules as anyone in the game.”
This one will hurt the Cowboys for a while. At least they get to meet a third-string Panthers in the final round, with the premiers to rest most of their senior players.
Jason Taumalolo can’t find a way through.Credit:Getty
Tom Burgess barged over under the posts in the final minute to seal the win for Souths.
When the big Brit scored his four-pointer, the Souths faithful – including Burgess’ mother Julie – turned to Demetriou’s coach’s box and gave him a standing ovation.
It is some achievement for Demetriou to make the finals in his first year of head coaching. Most people expected Souths to make the eight, but after a 1-3 start to the year, Demetriou held his nerve. He also had to cope without Latrell Mitchell for a large chunk of the year.
Friday night’s clash against bitter rivals the Sydney Roosters will be a little less volatile now both clubs are assured of September football.
Damien Cook was a late scratching against the Cowboys because of COVID. And after testing positive on Saturday, he is unlikely to return in time for the Allianz Stadium opening.
Souths led 14-6 for most of the second half before Kyle Feldt scored a long-range try.
And when Taane Milne knocked the ball on from a kick, in the exact same spot Jaxson Paulo famously spilled the Steeden a fortnight earlier, the Cowboys had every chance to draw level and even hit the lead.
But they dropped the ball, then Hess was a little too eager going after Graham.
Aside from the late fireworks, Souths and the Cowboys will need to quickly improve in time for the business end of the season.
While there were some fantastic defensive shots – Jason Taumalolo on Junior Tatola was one of many highlights – the attack from both teams appeared discombobulated.
Jai Arrow sent a scare through the Souths camp early when he dislocated a finger and hopped around in pain in back play.
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