Johnathan Thurston 'shattered' after Cowboys disaster as worrying Scott Drinkwater moment emerges

Cowboys legend Johnathan Thurston has admitted he was shattered for his NRL club after watching his team put in a poor display with a moment between Scott Drinkwater and Reuben Cotter coming under scrutiny. The Cowboys were left helpless in the first 40 minutes at Allianz as the Sharks ran out to a 24-0 lead at half-time.

Braydon Trindall and Nicho Hynes steered the Sharks around with a controversial penalty try to the Sharks starting the onslaught. It wasn't long until the game was out of reach for the Cowboys, despite a second-half rally.

And club legend Thurston was left downtrodden as the performance. Speaking on Channel Nine after the game, Thurston said he was 'shattered' having watched his team make the second week of the finals and deliver a sub-par performance.

This included 50 missed tackles in a NRL finals clash, which was deemed not good enough. "I'm just a little bit shattered for them because I thought they had come down here to have a red-hot crack," he said on Channel Nine.

"But where you finish the season is probably a reflection of how you played throughout the year and the inconsistency of the Cowboys has come back to bite them again. "While they've been good in parts of the game, they have really struggled to put a complete 80-minute performance [together].

"When you are in the post-season, playing against the better sides, you can't afford to have the errors that they had. You can't afford to be behind 24-0 at half time. And I think it's just a true reflection of their season and the inconsistency of it."

Cowboys 'exposed' as fitness issues called out

There was also a bizarre moment towards the end of the first half that caught the attention of fans. The Cowboys were 24-0 down when the ball went out wide to Drinkwater. The fullback tried to force the issue and his pass went to ground.

However, he didn't realise it was play on and when the ball was thrown back to him he wasn't paying attention and it ended up being a knock-on. Drinkwater was frustrated with his mistake, which saw a number of his teammates rush over to give him a hand.

Club leader Cotter came over and appeared to share some words with the fullback. And Drinkwater didn't take too kindly to whatever was said having shrugged off his captain in frustration.

The moment was a stark contrast to that of the Sharks. Hynes has been under pressure for weeks for his performances, but has received the full backing of his teammates. And the Cowboys appeared to be a team in disarray with the players frustrated at their own performances.

Speaking on Fox Sports after the game, Michael Ennis delivered a harsh analysis of the Cowboys' efforts in the first half of a finals game. "Their defensive deficiencies this year...there is 50-60 minutes of a contest where the Cowboys can look as good as any side in the competition, but then they lose concentration," Ennis said.

"The fitness of Cronulla, through the forward pack, exposed their deficiencies." Greg Alexander went one step further and claimed the Cowboys were not fit. "You don't win a final missing 50 tackles. I thought the lack of fitness from the Cowboys was exposed tonight. I thought there was so many unfit players out there," Alexander said.