Roosters beat Cowboys in NRL comeback

The Sydney Roosters have reclaimed second spot on the NRL ladder with a stirring 22-16 comeback win over North Queensland on Saturday night at Allianz Stadium.

The Roosters were down 16-6 – their biggest halftime deficit of the season – when Daniel Tupou scored soon after the resumption.

The try sparked a Roosters onslaught on both sides of the field, with bench forwards Sio Siua Taukeiaho and Zane Tetevano particularly damaging down the middle of the field.

Taukeiaho fittingly powered over from close range to level the scores, before Luke Keary beat a tiring defence for the go-ahead points in the 61st minute.

Latrell Mitchell sealed the win six minutes later with a penalty goal.

The second-half fightback was even more impressive given they are without key men Boyd Cordner, Jake Friend and Michael Gordon.

Taukeiaho finished with 200 metres in just 40 minutes of play, while the Roosters also enjoyed 21 plays inside the opposition 20-metre zone compared to the Cowboys’ six in the second half.

The win lifts the Roosters back over Cronulla and within two points of ladder leaders Melbourne, who meet Manly on Sunday.

The defeat for the Cowboys, who could’ve leapfrogged the Roosters into fourth spot with a win, ended a four-game winning run without champion playmaker Johnathan Thurston.

The Roosters started strongly when centre Mitchell burned four players on a 60-metre sideline run in just the third minute.

But the Cowboys showed their premiership mettle with the final three tries of the half – the first two set up by Lachlan Coote on well-executed set plays.

First, the fullback used quick hands to put Kane Linnett over on the left edge, before again creating an overlap to send Kyle Feldt across in the opposite corner.

The Cowboys took a commanding 10-point lead into halftime when Coen Hess powered over for a dubious close-range try in the 32nd minute.

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