NRL: Cooper puts hand up for NSW

St George Illawarra centre Matt Cooper put up his hand for a NSW Origin recall with a superb individual display to lift the Dragons back to the top of the NRL table with a 32-18 win over North Queensland at WIN Stadium last night.

Cooper was brilliant in attack and defence as the Dragons terrorised the Cowboys' right side defence, the elusive centre finishing with two tries including the match-sealer eight minutes from time after Brett Morris broke free from his own ten metre line.

The home side scored five tries to three and led 18-6 at halftime.

They took all of three minutes to open with Cooper put into space inside his own half before brilliantly positioning Morris on the left side for a 6-0 lead.

It could have been two in six minutes save for a desperate Ty Williams intercept, the Queensland Origin hopeful's try-saver only delaying the onslaught with Cooper crossing in the tenth minute albeit off what looked a Ben Creagh forward pass.

A Wendell Sailor brain explosion gifted the Cowboys their opening points, the veteran winger drifting across field before sending a floating ball that was reeled in by North Queensland centre Ashley Graham.

Sailor attempted to make up for his error with some desperate defence but the Cowboys spread the ball to take advantage of his exposed wing with Ty Williams diving over out wide.

Hornby worked a runaround to send Creagh galloping away to reestablish the home side's 12-point lead, but it was the Cowboys who should have had the running going into the break only for Travis Burns to knock-on one metre out from the Dragons line as he looked to pounce on a Jamie Soward spill.

North Queensland did get back into the contest just after the re-start when Luke O'Donnell capitalised on a Carl Webb bust, O'Donnell running straight through three defenders in a determined run to the line for 18-12 on 45 minutes.

Webb undid much of his good work with a ruck infringement allowing Soward to take the lead out to beyond a converted try wit a simple penalty goal, North Queensland's chances of making not helped with the loss of Matt Bowen just after the hour with a suspected broken rib.

Tonga did all he could to shut the door on his one-on-one battle with Sailor for the vacant berth in the Queensland backline as he swivelled past three tackles - including a weak Sailor effort - to again close the gap to two before Cooper but the result beyond doubt.

- AAP