Scott Drinkwater produced a moment of improvised magic to deliver the Cowboys a dramatic 27-23 win over Penrith in a rollercoaster clash in Townsville.
North Queensland had fought back from 22-12 down, then thought they had won it in normal time, before eventually getting the points after Chad Townsend, then Tom Dearden, then Drinkwater turned down field goals attempts.
The fullback, instead, decided to run through multiple Panthers to score the try. Todd Payten might ask how his team ended up in the situation where they needed such an unlikely winner, but in the moment, he won’t care.
“I’ve pleased to get away with the win,” said the coach. “The game was a good contest, we got punched in the face a couple of times. We were down eight points at half time and I challenged the lads to stand up and they fought very hard.
It could have been curtains for the Cowboys’ season, but the win keeps it going. Payten rated the win as even better than the recent thrashing of Melbourne.
“It’s right next to that, maybe even ahead of it,” he said. “Given that we were eight points down at half time and the way the last five minutes unfolded. If that goes against us, we’d have to really regroup.
“We dug deep and made tough decisions individually and as a team and that’s why we’re sitting here celebrating.”
These games, hidden away in the middle of Origin with mass absentees, can be something of a chore for even the most hardened of fans.
Both sides were missing five players to Origin camps, plus a fairly large sporting event began at exactly the same time, but anyone who turned in was served a treat.
It was a wild, see-sawing clash, with the lead changing hands multiple times, a dogfight to finish and a spectacular try to win it.
Both halfbacks came in with their own narrative and owned their moments: Townsend has spent the week batting away questions about his future in Townsville, but came up big to put his side ahead, before Jack Cogger, deputising for the injured Nathan Cleary, answered back with seconds remaining.
Jason Taumalolo, on return from injury, also played his role. It was his strong carry – off a Tyrone Peachey error – that looked like it had created the field goal opportunity. The Cowboys didn’t take it, but got the try instead.
“We were in a position to win that game and we opened the door in various ways and got what we got,” said Ivan Cleary.
“At 22-12, we offered up opportunities and weren’t resilient enough defensively. It’s not what we’re about, I’m a little disappointed with that.
“Both sides wanted it badly and the effort, both coaches will be happy on that front.”
Dearden’s Origin plight was somewhat lost in Game 1, with the Cowboys half named as the 18th man for Queensland and thus unable to play for his club, who subsequently lost to Parramatta.
Payten was, to say the least, not pleased. This time around, he was left out of the Maroons squad so that he could play in this game – AJ Brimson, with the Titans on the bye, was brought in – and didn’t let the opportunity go begging.
The five eighth had a hand in multiple Cowboys tries: it was he who made the break from which Drinkwater opened the scoring, he who scored the hosts’ second and he who fired the long ball that allowed Kyle Feldt to level the scores with a quarter hour to go.
It’s hard to remember that he’s just 22 and yet has a win in an Origin decider and over 70 NRL games to his name, dating back to 2019. Tom Jenkins, in just game 2 for the Panthers, is three days younger than him.
It’s a strange situation for the five eighth. Clearly, he’s the second best option that Queensland have in his position, and by rights could and perhaps should have been selected for Game 2.
But it also does nobody any good for him to sit and watch games on the outside chance that someone goes down hurt – or catches Covid, as Cam Munster did last year.
It certainly doesn’t do any good for the Cowboys here, as Dearden was their best player tonight and is close to it most weeks. They need him more than Queensland at the moment.
“I’m glad he’s in our team,” said Payten. “I know the players love playing with him and playing for our club means something to him.
“Winning footy games means something, playing in the NRL means something, he doesn’t take a thing for granted and works his butt off.”
Dylan Edwards is so underrated he’s overrated. Either he’s the great ignored man of rep footy, stuck behind too many superstars and unrecognised, or he’s the ideal system player, elevated above his station by being a good cog in a great machine.
For those who subscribe to the second theory, tonight was an interesting performance. It’s rare that we see Edwards shorn of the other three more illustrious members of the spine.
In the absence of Nathan Cleary, Jarome Luai and Isaah Yeo, Ivan Cleary challenged his fullback to take on a more senior role in the playmaking, and he certainly did that.
The knock on Edwards is that he’s a highly functional fourth part, a great defender and runner elevated to star status by the collective effort of others.
Drop him in another side, without three Origin level playmakers, and he’d go right back into the pack. Most competent fullbacks would look like worldbeaters in his situation.
Tonight, however, he showed a previously unseen level of craft and creativity, with an attacking showing that Scott Drinkwater – almost an anti-Edwards in terms of his fullback skillset – would have been proud of.
Edwards was carrying the ball to the line, challenging inside defenders like a half and creating space out wide – and all the while, still doing the nuts and bolts stuff that he does every week.
It’s probably not going to bring him any higher than where he currently is, but with James Tedesco edging towards the latter part of his Origin career, it’s another reminder that Edwards is more than capable of more than we see every week.
We shouldn’t doubt them at this stage, but the Panthers system works. This was always clear to anyone who has watched any of their reserve or junior football: they all play the same way, all the way down.
Inherent to that is the spreading of metres across the team, ensuring repeatable production across the 80 minutes, and subsequently, the ability of the middles to dominate defensively.
North Queensland didn’t get a single tackle inside 20 until the 52nd minute, demonstrating how conclusively the field position battle was won, and though they did score from further out, Penrith were able to control the bulk of the game despite missing key elements.
That’s why systems are so important. Plenty of teams have stars in a salary-capped league like the NRL, but those with great systems that are reflected across the club can cope without their stars.
When everyone knows that the best players are torn from the comp repeatedly on rep duty, that comes to the fore. We saw that tonight.
Brendon Waldron
Roar Pro
Ah, no, the Panthers were only on top because of byes, the Broncos are on top with or without byes because they've won more games and lost less games than everybody else...
Warren Turner
Roar Rookie
Broncos are on top if you take byes into account. Should get rid of the 2 points for them too.
Warren Turner
Roar Rookie
Hiku must have something on Payten and he plays a lot worse than ordinary
Warren Turner
Roar Rookie
You went a bit easy on Hiku! He's a walking disaster and has been for years
Warren Turner
Roar Rookie
Hiku's at least 2 years past his Use By date. His kick (on the 4th tackle I think) is typical of his rubbish decisions.
Nat
Roar Guru
OK 7 v 5 (6 if we are including Tamou who would be in the top 17) out. Those replaced by NQ were genuine rookies not 40 - 50+ gamers. Panthers still went into this game as favourites so if the system worked so well they should have been comfortable winners. In any case, I’m just stirring up Mike. He has made 100 excuses why Panthers are great that tend not to apply anywhere else.
Pomoz
Roar Rookie
Not quite Nat. The Panthers had 7 players missing. Cleary and Leota were missing besides the five SOO players. Good story though and you could be right we might not win this year.
Pomoz
Roar Rookie
You can't count Mike, Penrith were missing 7 players. To'o, Crichton, Martin, Yeo, Luai and Cleary (injured the game after playing SOO, coincidence? I don't think so) to SOO Leota was also missing due to the birth of his child. Understandably, we were a little off our game. Your comments on systems are so true. We can thank Gus for that. When he came back to the club as GM in 2012 he was incredulous when he discovered reserve grade was run by St Mary's and they trained at their ground, not with first grade. It certainly saved money, but we struggled to develop players who could drop into first grade. Why do clubs do crazy stuff like that? The Board decide "Let's play at two different grounds, let's put our COE in a different place entirely from either of those locations so we can have three locations to manage and travel to. Let's hire an ex- footballer as GM who has one years experience in management, let's hire an ex-footballer as CEO who has two years experience in a supermarket chain. Let's cheat the salary cap, but make sure we record what we agree on in the Board minutes and records of the meetings. Everybody agree", "Aye", "Great motion carried. With this plan what could possibly go wrong?". There is a book in there somewhere along the lines of "Good to Great" by Jim Collins. It would be titled "Mediocre to Shit".
steveng
Roar Rookie
All I want to know is how was that James Fisher-Harris play the ball "sideways" was allowed that lead to that Salmon try?
Dan Nix
Roar Rookie
That first 50minutes was hard to watch, by then I was bitter at rugby league in general. And so it goes the roller coaster. I don't think Hiku should see out the year in first grade, and tbh Townsend's looking a little flimsy. Strange to think we had the QLD centre sitting on the bench last year and couldn't think of a way to use him. I like Todd Payton, but in my eyes his reign will be forever tarnished for letting a local superstar go in favour of an old run down mercenary. I hope they're keeping Townsend to mentor that young half-back who's meant to be the next big thing. And seriously, dropping Feldt must have been a gee up.
Nat
Roar Guru
The System Works Mike says as a justification have them nailed at the top of the power rankings. THEY LOST. They lost against a team with just as many players out. They lost after establishing a strong lead. They got run down by a team with far less calibre players. This fabled “system” has lost one less game this year than the last 2 years combined, 3 of those by bottom 8 teams and a GP win against another. I will call it right now that this Panthers team will not make the GF this year.
3 R M
Roar Rookie
I think if we replace Hiku it would be with Laybutt even though he mostly plays on the left. He is a good decision maker normally and when he plays fullback he runs both sides of the field. He didn't miss a tackle last night and apart from the lost defusal leading to a try and a defensive misread he played a good 2nd NRL game. Sadrugu is playing right centre but he probably has more errors in him than semi but has better hands, he pushes passes and offloads which is both good and bad and I don't think he has the full 80 minutes of NRL in him yet.
Cam
Roar Rookie
No doubting the motor on Dylan Edwards, a massive 32 runs for 333m with quite a few of those being tackle 2 runs straight into the middle forwards. I’d actually love to see his workload reduced and save some energy for clutch attack. Spencer Leniu was tipped to come into the Origin team and this match really should have been a statement for the selectors. Instead it proved to be justification for his omission with 9 runs for 82m and capped off by a lazy play where he stood in the Cowboys defensive line to disallow a crucial Edward’s try. The bloke is a genuine bench player and at $550,000 a season, the Roosters have more money than sense.
The Barry
Roar Guru
I’m not surprised you can’t tell the difference…
Nat
Roar Guru
I would run Sami in the centres when Val and Tualagi return. Hiku is going backwards fast.
Geoff from Bruce Stadium
Roar Rookie
We have a couple in the Raiders in Whitehead and Jarrod Croker. They are experienced and clever but can't keep up with the modern game. You want the coach to pull the pinon them but Ricky loves them and us supporters have to tolerate their inadequacies. Hiku looks like an obvious weak link for the Cowboys to a neutral. Have to credit to Kyle Feldt though. He had an enormous last 20 minutes when many were floundering. So many tough carries when the Cowboys needed it.
NQR
Roar Rookie
It was a great result and plenty exciting. Sadly for 60mim I was fuming with frustration LOL. I don’t like one out, lethargic football with 11 blokes standing around behind the ruck? They talk about stopping momentum in the first 3 tackles and winning the contact. Guess what one outside back running one out back into a pack of forwards knowing exactly who’s getting it and loading up isn’t good football. Taumalolo basically walks back and then wants the ball on tackle 4 for the softest carry. That where Gilbert and Cotter always put his hand up and at least offered some sort of option as a career or receiver/decoy. I think Luciano made himself available for that in the second half? Granville’s passing was ordinary at best but he does busts his guts with effort. Drinkwater was great but I still don’t want him LOL.
Geoff from Bruce Stadium
Roar Rookie
Better to watch that game play itself out in Golden Point than end in a dreary draw that a lot on here seem to prefer. Thought it was brilliant to watch two teams obviously fatigued - deadlocked at 23 - all trying to muster something and find a way to win in that final 4 minutes. And Drinkwater was the man to step up. Great stuff.
Andy J
Roar Rookie
Totally agree he looked very off tonite. Was given the ball in situations where he was give me a good opportunity to stand up his opposite and never looked threatening
Andy J
Roar Rookie
Surprised you weren’t asking for a send off for the Elbow on Luki that left him with facial fractures?