Cowboys coach Todd Payten criticized his team's poor performance in a 26-12 loss, marking a disappointing reality check.
A frustrated Cowboys coach Todd Payten said Sunday afternoon's 26-12 defeat in the nation's capital was a reality check as North Queensland tumbled out of the top eight.
The Cowboys missed 52 tackles and made 11 errors as the Raiders dominated, with Canberra halfback Ethan Sanders providing some scoreboard salvation by missing five of his six conversion attempts.
Canberra scored three tries in consecutive sets to storm out to a 14-0 lead early in the first half and never looked back as the Cowboys failed to mount any genuine comeback.
Payten blasted his team for heading into the game with a poor attitude.
"I thought they just ran harder and tackled harder from the first whistle to the last," Payten said.