Cowboys 8
Roosters 18
The equation was simple - beat the Cowboys by 15 points or more and the Roosters would finish fifth on the table, ahead of the Warriors, and most likely be set for a finals match away to the Titans.
The fourth-placed Titans might even be a good draw to get
- they are affected by injuries and fifth loomed even more as the best place to be for anyone outside the top four.
The Roosters were heavy favourites against the second-to-bottom Cowboys, who had a points differential going into this match of -232.
But when the Roosters' premier player this season, Todd Carney, spilled the kick-off like a drunk dropping a jar of pickled onions and Matt Bowen scored after 11 minutes, it sparked the thought that the Roosters' goose might just be cooked.
In the game happening in parallel, the Panthers did away with the Sharks comfortably, 50-12, to finish second in the minor premiership - meaning that, if the Roosters had lost this game, they would have been sixth and awaiting the Manly-Bulldogs game today to see if they might end up as low as seventh.
All this gazing up and down the table can blur focus on the highest priority: winning the game. The Roosters did that; making more mistakes than they will be happy with as a finals dress rehearsal.
The Cowboys geared themselves up for an end-of-season farewell that highlighted their ability rather more than the rest of their season had.
Their forwards clambered into the Roosters, including big Willie Mason, who came off the interchange bench to make some willing contributions against his former club.
The central early figure, however, was little Cowboys fullback Matt Bowen. In his 200th NRL game last night, the little darter and dasher was all speed and agility, worrying the Roosters.
However, the Roosters' power runners and strong forwards began to assert themselves and the Cowboys, as they have done all season, commenced to make errors.
Shaun Kenny-Dowall has been in excellent try-scoring form lately and he touched down when second rower Mitch Aubusson made space after a Cowboys turnover. Carney goaled from the corner. It looked even worse for the Cowboys when halfback Mitchell Pearce stepped his way to the goalposts - but lost the ball in scoring the try.
After an error-laden and largely static first half, the Roosters were ahead 6-4 and it appeared the Cowboys might have lost their chance to rock the misfiring Bondi Boys.
So it proved. The Roosters made ground easily in their first attack in the second half and worked Kenny Dowall into space close to the line. His extended-fingertip touchdown meant he had scored five tries in two matches after his hat-trick against Manly last week.
To their credit, the Cowboys came back strongly - with Mason and Bowen prominent again. The Townsville team badly miss the injured creative influence, Johnathan Thurston, but they still forced three consecutive line dropouts by the Roosters as the Cowboys corralled them in their defensive zone.
They didn't score then but did after an hour when Ty Williams, retiring after this game, came on an angled run to score from a Grant Rovelli pass. Ashley Graham couldn't convert - but Warriors fans were still hopeful that the magic 15-point margin would not be reached.
That looked a bit sick when big Nate Myles burst through, galloped 40 metres like a man in urgent need of a toilet and set up a 65-metre move and try for Pearce and a lead of 18-8.
That's how it stayed. The Warriors held fifth, the Roosters sixth.
Cowboys 8 (M. Bowen, T. Williams tries), Roosters 18 (S. Kenny-Dowall 2, M. Pearce tries; T. Carney 3 goals). Halftime: 4-6.
* The Panthers jumped from fourth to second after a crushing 50-12 victory over an ordinary Sharks side last night to take good form into the finals series. They scored as early as the third minute through Frank Pritchard, who finished with a hat-trick, and steam-rolled their way to another eight tries in the simple win.
The Panthers will have to wait until today's Manly/Bulldogs game to find out whether they play the Raiders or Sea Eagles in the first weekend of the finals.
Panthers 50 (F. Pritchard 3, M. Jennings 2, B. Tighe 2, W. Graham, N. Smith tries; M. Gordon 6 gls) Sharks 12 (B. Ferguson, N. Gardner tries; L. Covell 2 gls). HT: 28-6.
