Raiders lead wild clash against Cowboys in Townsville

80' What a way to finish for the Raiders, or at least it would have been...

My GOODNESS!

Drinkwater makes yet another handling error at the other end and Xavier Savage makes a massive run up field.

The Raiders recycle, with Coby Black putting a tremendous kick for Simi Sasagi.

It's a magical kick.

Oh but hang on. The Bunker spots that Simi Sasagi is offside.

Josh Papali'i was ready to kick the goal.

Instead, it's a penalty to North Queensland.

73' Penalty Raiders!

Papali'i is stopped within a centimetre of the line!

That was a remarkable tackle.

But then the Raiders get a penalty! The Cowboys are furiously asking to challenge it — believing with some justification, I think, — that the veteran milked that.

Soni Luke it was, who was penalised. Blimey, that's soft.

They are not allowed to challenge a ruck speed call though and it's a penalty.

Coby Black is going to add two more to his tally, which stands at 26. The Raiders have 50, and the competition points.

It's 50-30.

71' Try Taumalolo!

The power of Jason Taumalolo!

Not even the One Ring could deny him...

Three Raiders hung off him, Taumalolo just kept on going forward, relentlessly, and found himself within reaching distance of the line, so he summoned another burst of power to dot down, dragging all three Raiders with him.

The kick is good, and it's 48-30.

70' Owen Pattie is down

And he's clutching at his knee.

Looks like cramp to me, but the Raiders are down a defender as the Cowboys pour forward.

64' WHAT A TRY FOR THE RAIDERS!

COBY BLACK IS HAVING A DEBUT TO REMEMBER!

The youngster breaks through the line and puts his foot down,. It was a crazy dummy, and then another one to get into space.

The defence closes and so he grubbers the ball forward to Ethan Strange, who dives over the line.

Coby Black kicks the extras. He how has 24 points - the most points by any player at this level in history.

61' TRY RAIDERS!

Great pass from Simi Sasagi out the back of his hand releasing Xavier Savage.

Savage has a long way to go, 70-odd metres, and Savage just puts the foot down and races away - he is so quick.

The whole move started when Drinkwater lost the ball as the Cowboys challenged the line.

But there was still an awful lot to do.

Savage has a hat-trick.

The kick is good and it's 42-24 now.

60' Penalty Cowboys

The Raiders ill-discipline has cost them all season and once again the tempers are beginning the fray.

Owen Pattie has delivered a text book shoulder charge and has been pinged for it, Noah Martin gets into the Cowboys players too.

60' Try Cowboys!

The Cowboys work the short side and the ball pops up off the arm of Jed Stuart.

Drinkwater picked the ball up and then passed inside to Braidon Burns who went over to score.

He has gone down though, Burns, after Owen Pattie slid in and took him out late.

I don't know how that's not been put on report to be honest - they way things have been put on report so far this game.

The kick is good and Burns seems to be OK.

It's 24-36.

59' Penalty Cowboys

Ethan Strange is a bit uppish with a tackle as the Cowboys look to run the ball out of danger from dummy half.

It's a high shot but nothing more than a penalty.

55' Small scuffle

Reed Mahoney and Noah Martin come together after Martin does really well to stop a grubber kick through being claimed by a Cowboys runner, but is then smashed by the cavalry and kept in the in-goal.

Just a conversation, it looks like.

The goal line drop out is good but there's a knock on by the Raiders so it will be a Cowboys scrum on the 10 metre line.

51' Try Raiders!

Owen Pattie makes a break out of dummy half.

Ethan Strange was in support and he darted out of the line and towards the Cowboys line.

Coby Black is there, and he gets the final pass to score! He has 18 points on debut!

Now he has 20 points on debut after kicking the extras.

What a debut.

The Raiders now lead 36-18.

50' The Cowboys come very close!

What a moment.

Kaeo Weekes almost went the length of the field at one end - claiming a bomb and then racing up field to the 50, Heilum Luki and Scott Drinkwater combining to make a last-ditch tackle.

Then the Cowboys made a break of their own.

The ball was clipped towards the right wing where Luki was waiting, but he can't get the ball down.

45' Try Cowboys!

That was superb from the Cowboys!

John Bateman burst through the line, some horrible reading of the attack there by the Raiders defenders, Tom Dearden with a good pass but Simi Sasagi went for a little aimless wander out the line.

Scott Drinkwater was on his inside and the pass sent him through to score under the posts.

They needed that, the Cowboys, and the crowd rises in response.

It's 18-30 after Drinkwater nailed the conversion.

44' Penalty Raiders

Malachi Smith is tackled a fraction late by Thomas Mikaele.

That's a tough one on Mikaele.

There was no way he was able to pull out of that tackle. Tough call.

My screen says that Malachi Smith is on report. No idea what for.

43' The Sharks challenge a strip call

The Cowboys are on the charge but Thomas Mikaele loses the ball.

Owen Pattie is challenging this, Malachi Smith was in the tackle and it might have been his hand?

No! No stripping action so it's a knock on Cowboys and a turn over!

Todd Payten is disgusted.

41' We're back underway

The Raiders in their lime green shirts kick off, the Cowboys, backed by their slightly shocked home crowd, bring the ball back in their white shirts with the dark blue sleeves.

HT: Raiders lead wild one in Townsville

Well, what a shoot out we're enjoying in Townsville.

The Raiders came out firing, got shut down by some magical Cowboys action in the middle of the half, and then came into half time with a wet sail.

It's a game that's ebbed and flowed, but the Raiders are leading by 30-12 at the break.

Josh Papali'i has had a final game to remember, getting "rocked" early (his words on Fox at half time) and then scoring a try.

The Raiders have scored more points tonight than they have in any first half this season.

A hugely entertaining game.