Cronulla Sharks v North Queensland Cowboys, finals history, stats, seven tackle try, Valentine Holmes two point field goal, who will win #adessonews

En route to an historic grand final win, the Sharks would meet the Cowboys in the 2016 prelim, hoping to atone from the embarrassing loss 12 months earlier.

This time around, it would be the Sharks to outplay the Cowboys, with veteran playmaker James Maloney starring.

Maloney scored two second half tries to put the game to bed, including an epic 60-metre intercept to give Cronulla a 32-6 lead with 15 minutes to play.

With the Cowboys attacking to save the game, Maloney threw one outstretched hand out to somehow catch a Gavin Cooper pass before racing away to ice the game despite being chased by several North Queensland defenders.

The Cowboys scored three tries to add some respectability to the scoreboard but make no mistake, this was a procession from the Sharks.

It would set up a grand final between Cronulla and Melbourne, which the Sharks would win 14-12, delivering the club their first ever NRL premiership win.

“Turn your porch lights off because we are coming home with the trophy,” Paul Gallen exclaimed moments after the grand final win, referencing a famous quote from legendary coach Jack Gibson which said: “Waiting for Cronulla to win a premiership is like leaving the porch lamp on for Harold Holt”.

2015 SEMI FINAL – Cowboys 39 Sharks 0

It was a one-act affect in Week 2 of the 2015 finals series, with the Cowboys dismantling the Sharks on their way to a maiden NRL premiership.

Much like the set up this season but with the teams switched, in 2015, the Cowboys would lose their first match of the finals series with a 16-12 defeat at the hands of the Broncos.

Meanwhile, the Sharks kept their season alive with a 28-12 win against Souths in an elimination final.

That set up what most believed would be an even game in Townsville, but it was anything but, with the Cowboys dominating from pillar to post to set up a preliminary final against the Storm.

Of course, North Queensland would win that game before meeting the Broncos again in the grand final.

This time, the Cowboys turned the tables on the qualifying finals loss when Johnathan Thurston kicked a field goal in golden point to end one of the greatest grand finals in NRL history.

2013 ELIMINATION FINAL – Sharks 20 Cowboys 18

The first elimination final of the 2013 finals series was plagued by one of the most controversial refereeing faux pas in NRL history.

In the seventh minute of the final at Allianz Stadium, Sharks winger Beau Ryan scored a try on the seventh tackle after all the officials somehow misjudged the tackle count.

The Sharks would win the game by two points, so the try proved to be critical.

Cowboys coach Neil Henry was scathing post-game.

“How could it happen? It’s a schoolboy error. It’s something you don’t see out there in QLD Cup, you don’t see at the local A Grade,” Henry said.

“They’ve proven a couple of years in a row that they’re (refeeres) not up to it.”

Captain Johnathan Thurston added: “On the biggest stage, they crumble.”

The NRL made no excuses for the “human error”, apologising to the Cowboys.

“We’ve got six or seven people that count the tackle count in every game and all the failsafes failed at the same time,” then NRL boss Dave Smith said.

“That’s the most disappointing aspect of it, it is not a single error. It’s a whole match official crew who can hold their hand up and admit we let down our rugby league public at that moment.”

It was the second straight season the Cowboys were cruelled by a officiating blunder in the finals after a knock on from Manly’s Kieran Foran was missed in the lead-up to a Sea Eagles try in a 2012 semi-final loss.

After Cronulla’s controversial win in 2013, they would be knocked out the following week in the semis by the Sea Eagles.