Broncos victory puts Cowboys on finals edge

Adam Blair of the Broncos scores a try against the Cowboys. Photo /Getty

North Queensland's finals hopes are in jeopardy after Brisbane outclassed their fierce rivals 20-10 at a sold-out 1300SMILES Stadium.

A hamstring injury on the halftime siren to star fullback Darius Boyd put a major dampener on Brisbane's polished display but a dominant first 40 minutes from the visitors was enough to leave their Queensland counterparts' season in limbo.

Three unanswered first half tries down the left flank did the damage for Brisbane, with the Cowboys now needing either a Penrith win over Manly at Lottoland on Friday, or a Bulldogs upset over the Dragons on Sunday to sneak in to the eight.

The Broncos almost jumped their northern neighbours with an early try when hulking forward Josh McGuire was held up over the line, as both sides traded half chances in the opening ten minutes.

Anthony Milford was proving to be a real handful for the North Queensland defence and after collecting his own grubber he found James Roberts who then offloaded to Matt Gillett - the second rower cantering 20m to score the game's opening try.

The Broncos looked slick in attack and pounced again as Kodi Nikorima broke the line and found a flying Roberts with a perfect grubber to gift the superstar centre another try for 2017.

The onslaught continued minutes later when Brisbane winger Jordan Kahu easily outleapt opposite number Antonio Winterstein, making the visitors' advantage 14-0 after just 12 minutes.

North Queensland hit back with the try they so desperately needed with Morgan finding Maroons teammate Gavin Cooper with a great ball close to the line.

Ethan Lowe's conversion cut the Broncos' lead to eight and Brisbane had even more to worry about when Boyd picked up a hamstring strain while fielding a kick on the final play of the half.

Cowboys utility Ben Hampton was denied the second half's first try when he was held up over the line and while the Cowboys enjoyed a number of repeat sets the Broncos defence answered all questions asked of them.

Brisbane's injury woes continued when Alex Glenn left the field for a head injury assessment but the Broncos were able to mount pressure through Ben Hunt's kicking game.

Their extended possession paid off when prop Adam Blair barged his way over for a crucial four-pointer.