Cowboys skipper Johnathan Thurston has made a welcome return to form to spearhead his side to a comfortable 34-10 defeat of cellar dwellers the Cronulla Sharks in front of 8,547 fans at Hindmarsh Stadium in Adelaide on Sunday.
The Australian Test half-back has been guilty of overplaying his role in the opening rounds of the competition, but he picked his time brilliantly in this match to lay on four of side's six tries in a superb all-round performance which also included some thumping one-on-one tackles aimed mainly at Cronulla playmaker Trent Barrett.
Thurston was the only Cowboy to really shine in a dour opening 40 minutes which saw the Townsville-based side edge to a slim 6-4 lead, but the floodgates opened in the second-stanza with North Queensland racing in five tries-to-one during that period on the back of a mountain of possession.
The win sees the Cowboys snap a three-match losing streak, while the hapless Sharks are left stranded at the bottom of the NRL ladder following their fifth-straight defeat.
The Sharks were denied a try in the seventh minute when video referee Tim Mander ruled second-rower Reece Williams had knocked forward a Barrett pass in the lead up to centre Matthew Wright sprinting away to plant the ball down over the line.
But Wright, in just his second first grade game, would eventually be given a green light by Mander after virtually falling over the line off a Mitch Brown pass to score in the 14th minute.
Winger Luke Covell missed with the sideline conversion attempt, leaving the Sharks in front 4-0.
Both sides then had tries denied due to forward passess before Thurston took control in the 33rd minute, dribbling a grubber in-goal for winger Shannon Hegarty to score.
His magnificent sideline conversion pushed the Cowboys out to their eventual 6-4 half-time lead.
Repeat sets just after the break were all the Cowboys needed to go further ahead, Thurston producing a fine inside ball to send leg-pumping lock Luke O'Donnell fighting his way over for a converted try beside the posts in the 45th minute.
When centre Willie Tonga broke out of a last-ditch Luke Douglas in-goal tackle to plant the ball down just four minutes later, the Cowboys were on track for their first win since Round 2 at 18-4 in front.
But Pomeroy was keen for his side to remain in the hunt, producing a strong run to flick a ball inside to second-rower Anthony Tupou for a much-needed 53rd minute Sharks try, reducing the deficit to eight points.
The Sharks appeared to over again moments later, but video referee intervention snuffed their chances of a full-blown revival with lock Reni Maitua ruled to have obstructed the Cowboys' defence in the process of Covell diving over in the left corner.
That ruling proved crucial with the Cowboys scoring soon after, Farrar benefiting from a favourable bounce off a Thurston grubber for a right-edge try.
Thurston missed the conversion, but the Cowboys enjoyed a 22-10 lead.
The match-sealer came in the 69th minute when Thurston and second-rower Scott Bolton produced fine passes to send full-back Matt Bowen over.
Prop Shane Tronc barged over a few minutes later to complete the rout for the Cowboys.
Cronulla Sharks 10
Tries: Wright, Tupou
Conversions: Covell
North Queensland Cowboys 34
Tries: Hegarty, O'Donnell, Tonga, Farrar, Bowen,Tronc
Conversions: Thurston 5