Former Broncos hooker Jake Granville came back to haunt his old team as North Queensland ran out 18-6 NRL trial winners over Brisbane in Mackay on Saturday night.
With scores locked at 6-6 at halftime in the rain and wind, Granville broke the game open when he scored after Aaron Whitchurch failed to handle a Tom Humble grubber in the 68th minute.
And he threatened to cross again when he was held up minutes later.
The killer blow was delivered by Kyle Feldt when he scored with two minutes left on the clock.
He potted the sideline conversion to finish with a personal tally of 10 points for the match.
However, Brisbane coach Wayne Bennett is still expected to find some positives from an error-riddled match due to the wet.
New Zealand international Adam Blair impressed on Broncos debut as did fellow recruit James Gavet.
Asked to step up upon Bennett's return as Broncos coach ahead of the 2015 season, Kiwi Alex Glenn also responded while forward Mitchell Dodds and youngster Tom Opacic also gave the legendary Brisbane mentor food for thought.
Bennett will also take the scoreline with a grain of salt after benching the majority of his starting team in order to blood youngsters in the final 25 minutes.
Meanwhile, Cowboys fullback Lachlan Coote - back from a knee reconstruction - gave coach Paul Green a scare when he received treatment for a head knock in the second half.
Brisbane must now prepare for the February 22 World Club Challenge clash with Wigan in the UK.
The Cowboys round up their pre-season schedule with a February 21 clash with the Gold Coast in Cairns.
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