KEY POINTS:
The Warriors are out of the NRL playoffs after a rout in Townsville yesterday in which they again failed to convert their chances into points.
They had their chances but failed to execute as they had against Parramatta.
They were out-played only because they gave the opposition too much ball through penalty and error, the noisy crowd of 21,847 a big factor for the Cowboys.
There are gains from the finals series - now their young players have been there they know what to expect, and all this side bar George Gatis, Tony Martin and Todd Byrne are back for 2008 while the buys Brent Tate and Ian Henderson will strengthen their attack.
It had the intensity of a final but not the finish. It's hard to see the Cowboys progressing beyond Manly next week, nor beating a Melbourne side which seems likely to eliminate the Eels next weekend.
Justice will be served if Manly meet Melbourne because they have been the best teams all year and clearly still are.
North Queensland led 18-12 at the break yesterday thanks to a try that wasn't, the officials missing a blatant forward pass that should have been called deliberate and penalised.
But the Warriors' talk all week had been of holding the ball - they managed to complete just 10 of 16 sets in the first spell and when they did get there, three kicks were sent dead in goal. The Cowboys completed 16 of 20.
And when wing Michael Crockett failed to field a high ball to start the second spell, the Cowboys should have scored in the corner but referee Tony Archer called a flat ball forward.
A square-up after his talking-to at the break? He won't be picked for the grand final.
As the Warriors' bus passed the Thuringowa shopping mall on the way to the ground, the temperature was 30C, with an hour to kick-off. The NRL asked both sides if they wanted a 20-minute break in each half - both said no. They were allowed an extra water-carrier.
The Cowboys had played mind games all week about whether prop Carl Webb, who suffered a calf tear the weekend before, would play. He didn't front, his place in the starting line-up taken by former Otahuhu player Ben Vauea.
The game opened with mistakes and penalties and Warriors lock Michael Luck suffering a head gash that resulted in him being blood-binned. The Warriors scored first at five minutes when fullback Wade McKinnon twice ran back-up in the backline to put wing Michael Crockett over. The home side replied through quick hands.
North Queensland allowed the Warriors a second lead, letting the kick-off go dead. Martin went over, Witt goaled, Warriors 12-6. But it was only until a penalty for a high shot gave the Cowboys territory and possession, and hooker Aaron Payne shot from dummy-half against poor marker defence finding wing Ben Farrar who scored untouched under the posts.
There it stayed until three minutes to go, when Thurston made a big bust and found Ty Williams wide and about 3m in front of him.
The touch judge was right there, the ball was clearly thrown forward over the 10m line but Archer awarded four points without reference to video replay, and so the half finished 18-12.
The visitors did themselves no favours to start the second period, the Cowboys forcing two goal-line drop-outs. Then a sloppy pass went to ground, Cowboys centre Ash Graham scooped up the ball and sped 60m to score.
The Warriors' self-destruction continued. They were caught going backwards with the ball on the last tackle, the short kick-off following a Matt Bowen field goal did not go 10m, and the Cowboys scored in the next set. Veteran Jason Smith, 35, scored a fairytale try in his last game.
Epalahame Lauaki conceded two tackle penalties in the last five minutes, one on report that may affect his test chances, and the Cowboys bench prop Ray Cashmere barged over, another Cowboys retiree Paul Bowman converting.
