North Queensland winger Antonio Winterstein scored a try with three minutes remaining to help clinch an 8-0 victory over the Wests Tigers, the first-place Cowboys' eighth consecutive win in the National Rugby League.
Cowboys coach Paul Green admitted that although it was a dour game for the spectators in Sydney, he was extremely pleased with holding the Tigers scoreless.
"You only get two points from it, so it doesn't matter how you win," he said. "I'm just really proud of the effort from the boys tonight, particularly defensively. It's our first nil scoreline this year and that's what won the game for us."
On Sunday, the Canterbury Bulldogs withstood a late Canberra rally to beat the Raiders 41-34.
Defending champion South Sydney beat Parramatta 14-12 after Cameron McInnes came off the bench to score a late try and Issac Luke kicked the conversion.
The Brisbane Broncos take on the Newcastle Knights on Monday in the split 11th round due to Wednesday's first state of Origin match between Queensland and New South Wales at Sydney.
The Melbourne Storm and St. George Illawarra Dragons, among three teams tied for second, two points behind the Cowboys, were two of eight NRL sides to have weekend byes.
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