The North Queensland Cowboys have forced the rugby league record books out in a demolition of the Wests Tigers at home on Saturday night.
The final scoreline of 74-0 was only made all the more remarkable by the fact the Cowboys didn't score in the opening 15 minutes. The Tigers' defence was harrowing as the Cowboys ran on a staggering 13 tries in the smash up.
In what was a historic night for the club, who were rebounding after having 66 points put on them by the Tigers when the sides met just over a month ago at Leichhardt, here are the stats from the game, and numbers from the record books.
Cowboys vs Tigers by the numbers
6: The number of points the Cowboys fell short of equalling the clock by. They would have become the first team in the NRL era to do so.
7: The number of direct try involvements for fullback Scott Drinkwater. He had two tries to go with five assists.
11: Valentine Holmes brought his kicking boots, slotting 11 out of 13. More on this in the next section.
13: The number of line breaks the Cowboys made. The Tigers couldn't make a single one in the 80 minutes. Also the number of tries the Cowboys scored.
23: The most tackles made by any Cowboys player - Coen Hess came up with 23. Tough night at the office!
52: The Tigers' completion rate. They finished just 18 out of 34 sets in a performance with the ball that was as bad as the one in defence. The visitors ultimately made 16 errors. The Cowboys, on the other hand, completed 35 out of 42 sets for an 83 per cent completion rate.
55: The number of tackles the Tigers missed. They fell off them all night and it showed in the final score.
63: The percentage of possession the Cowboys held. Once the home side got going, they barely spent any time without the Steeden in possession.
113: The most metres made by any Tigers player - David Klemmer was one of only three Tigers in triple figures, with Daivd Nofoaluma (111) and Daine Laurie (101) the other two.
1364: The difference in run metres between the two teams. The Cowboys ran for 2,336 metres, while the Tigers couldn't crack four figures, making just 972. The Cowboys also doubled the Tigers post-contact metres with 668 against 332.
Cowboys vs Tigers by the records
Most points: The Cowboys have equalled the most points scored by a team in the NRL era. The Parramatta Eels (in 2003 against the Cronulla Sharks) and the Canberra Raiders (in 2008 against the Penrith Panthers) also managed 74. It goes without saying that this is the biggest score in Cowboys' history. Only the Dragons and Roosters (both against the Bulldogs in 1935) have bigger scores in the history of top flight Australian rugby league, running on 91 and 87.
Biggest winning margin: The 74 points scored by the Cowboys is the biggest winning margin in the NRL era. The Eels and Raiders both conceded points in scoring 74 points. It's the third biggest margin in the top flight of Australian rugby league history, with the two aforementioned games in 1935 seeing the Dragons win by 85 and the Roosters by 80. This is obviously the biggest margin in Cowboys' history.
Most points in a game by a Cowboy: Valentine Holmes smashes the old record of 24 points being the most an individual Cowboy has scored in a game. He wound up with two tries and 11 goals for 30 points, going past the old record held by Luke Phillips, Josh Hannay and Johnathan Thurston.
Most goals in a game by a Cowboy: Holmes' 11 goals is also the most by a Cowboy in a match. Terry Campese holds the record for the most points by an individual player during the NRL era, scoring 36 in Canberra's 74-12 over Penrith in 2008. It's the equal ninth-most goals kicked by a team in any match during Australian top-flight rugby league history.
The biggest turnaround in a single season: The Cowboys were on track to have the heaviest score conceded this year when they let in 66 against the Tigers just 6 weeks ago in a 66-18 drubbing. The 74-0 win means they have turned around the margin by a staggering 122 points from last time out.
