Updated May 11, 2017 21:59:23

Photo: Michael Morgan did the business with ball in hand and on the boot. (AAP: Dan Himbrechts)

The North Queensland Cowboys have proven they can still win without Johnathan Thurston, beating the Canterbury Bulldogs 30-14.

Though many doubted the Cowboys' chances on the road and without their talismanic playmaker, the visitors were imperious in a the first half to set up a confidence-boosting win.

Michael Morgan was dominant for the Cowboys, setting up a number of tries with his kicking game and scoring one of his own for good measure.

The Bulldogs had an early try disallowed and failed to recover from there, only mustering a muted comeback in the second half through tries to Kerrod Holland and Danny Fualolo, with the Cowboys temporarily reduced to 12 men.

But North Queensland was resolute in defence and Canterbury sloppy with the ball, with a big result for the Cowboys rarely in doubt.

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Topics: nrl, rugby-league, sport, sydney-2000, nsw, townsville-4810, qld, australia

First posted May 11, 2017 19:36:34