FULLTIME :: Penrith claim their third Minor Premiership with a 20-point result against the Cowboys.
Crichton loses it.
Cowboys try the sweep play and Holmes loses it. CHALLENGE. It is unsuccessful.
PENALTY COWBOYS! Hammer time! Crichton lost it, picked up by Tualagi.. who gets it to the Hammer. He strides down the sideline, toes it once, twice but can't collect. Comes back for a push from Cleary.
Wonderful football all round! Cleary lofts one high, Holmes took it on the run.. takes on the Panthers defence and makes it halfway but loses it.
Holmes from wide. Shapes it over.
Feldt gets his customary try. Loevly pass from Drinkwater.
Cowboys go short and get it back!
Cleary shoots for goal again. Nails it.
GREEN LIGHTS.. TRY! Cowboys with a poor kick and the Panthers make them pay. Naden strides away.
BUNKER TIME! Cleary shows a clean pair of heels. Catches it, runs and hands off to Naden to do the rest. Checking obstruction.
Edwards dropped it, To'o dropped it. Crichton.. catches. Just. Slipped but still gets there. Panthers rucking it out.
Holmes quickly converts.
BUNKER TIME! The hammer looks to have dived over. Offside. CHALLENGE. Disputing offside. It is cleared. Now onto the contest. Cooper hasn't knocked it out. SUCCESSFUL. TRY!
Sloppy play-the-ball catches out Mitch Kenny.
RED LIGHTS.. NO TRY! Nope. He looks to have dropped this.
BUNKER TIME! Reuben Cotter looks to have burrowed over.
Another towering bomb from Clifford. He forces an error from To'o this time.
Jeez. Nothing has gone right tonight. Cowboys shut down a right side play.. it bounces around but Clifford is judged to make the error. Stepped on the line.
Cowboys try to make something happen but they are shut down at every opportunity. To'o ended up with the ball after jamming in.
Nevermind. Called held up. Kick for last drives Edwards back in-goal. Repeat set incoming.
BUNKER TIME! Cowboys might have snuck one here.
Clifford hits that in the belly of the ball, forces an error from Edwards.
Capewell knocks on from the last tackle kick.
Cowboys do one thing right then blow it. Made the break but Taulagi spills it trying to play too quick.
Two more for the Panthers leader.
GREEN LIGHTS.. TRY! It only took one look. Kikau got it down fast. No one competed from the kick and the monster did the rest.
BUNKER TIME! Bill Kikau might have slammed this down.
Cotter gets it wrong at dummy half again. Throws it forward to Murray Taulagi.
Cowboys lost their way on the last two tackles. Cotter goes himself, gets a metre out. Clifford tries to slice through but he's well handled.
Panthers get an early set restart but throw it away, Gavin Cooper scoops up. Cowboys on the attack.
Hope everyone is refreshed! Time for the second half. Panthers looking to rubber stamp their third Minor Premiership. Cowboys looking for some pride.
HALFTIME! Cowboys try one final play.. kick it high. To'o catches and that's it.
PENALTY COWBOYS! Obstruction from Luai.
Nothing has gone right in this first half for the Cowboys. Holmes was looking at the defense before he picked up the ball.
Cowboys try to pull one back but the short kick is shoveled out by Mansour.
PENALTY COWBOYS! Offside.
Some hearts in mouths but Murray Tualagi takes the kick low from Cleary. Dropout.
Close range, Cleary converts.
Luai started it, and finishes it off. The five-eighth kept the ball inside from the short dropout. Downfield, he lofted it high, Crichton out-jumps his man and slings it inside to Luai to finish.
Panthers aren't giving any quarters though. Go short and Crichton pushed it back in for Luai to take.
Good work from the Cowboys! Great kick forced Edwards in-goal, he is crash tackled. Dropout.
Cowboys tried the quick hands but Holmes tap-on goes over the sideline. Wasted.
PENALTY COWBOYS! Edwards was called out early and still got involved. Three straight from the Panthers.
PENALTY COWBOYS! Kikau not clips Holmes high.
PENALTY COWBOYS! Hammer was taken high. Lazy work from Naden.
Cowboys looked bright there. Worked some space on the left and Clifford goes close. Next play, Cotter tries to sell a forward pass to Taumalolo. Easy call.
The Hammer almost hurt them. A wobbly bombwas allowed to bounce, knocked on by a Panther. So Cowboys have a full set at the Panthers line.
Crichton has shown his work on the ground. This time he flies high but knocks on.
Cowboys try something on last.. got it to Holmes. No bueno.
Game has cooled off slightly. Panthers are still rolling but haven't crossed the stripe again. Cowboys have shown some promise to give the ball air.. just need some possession.
Similar kick to his last, Cleary hits the post.
GREEN LIGHTS.. TRY! Well, we don't even look at the penalty try. Mansour touched down inside the line. For what it's worth, Crichton was taken out. Lucky break for Feldt. Who should probably be having a rest.
BUNKER TIME! Cowboys can't handle Crichton. Luai kicks through, Crichton looks to be clearly held, can't get to the kick.. and Mansour might have touched down.
Smart work from Luai. Cowboys go long with the kick and the five-eighth just drags a toe over the dead ball. PENALTY PANTHERS. Here we go.
Right in front. Cleary salutes.
That was Kikau carnage. Early ball gave Kikau room, he swatted off Cowboys defenders like flies.. found Crichton who strolled in.
That was some contact. Panthers run it lon last, Cleary gave Naden space. The centre hooked it inside for the rushing half but he was beaten to it by the chase.
Panthers are just rolling through their sets. The work from the forwards to get past the advantage line has the Cowboys on the back foot. The kick on last breaksdown with Yeo. CHALLENGE. Panthers disputing the call. UNSUCCESSFUL! Knocked back from To'o. Changeover.
First assignment for Cleary. The half has been steady on his kicks but curves that wide.
Easy does it! Dylan Edwards poked through the line, saw he couldn't get to the line, grubbered and To'o doesn't miss those.
Cowboys tried to find a block play but Scott Drinkwater threw out an errant hand. Panthers scrum.
Solid first hit-outs for both sides. Got to their kit and a confident first take from Cowboys main man Val Holmes.
KICK-OFF! Panthers loft it into the Townsville sky, Cowboys with first use, running from left to right from your computer screen.
Panthers are in their pink panthers jersey and look to go past the century mark for days undefeated. The Panthers confidently move onto the field, ready to rock. Next is the Cowboys, led by Gavin Cooper, in his final home game for the club. Cowboys have a pink-blue almost choc top design as they walk out. Lovely touch as the Cowboys walk out.. Gavin Cooper goes alone.. clapped on by his family, all socially distanced.. of course. Let's get ready for kick-off!
Happy Friday! I hope everyone is safe, well and got their refreshments ready! We start our double header up north. The Cowboys who are shuffling their way to the end of the season welcome minor premiers elect Panthers. This is only the third time the Panthers have traveled outside NSW this season, will they just roll through the lowly Cowboys or will the hosts take some heart from the result last night. Let's find out.
Referees & scorers:
Referee: Matt Cecchin
Touch Judges: Jon Stone, Drew Oultram
Video Referee: Steve Clark
NORTH QUEENSLAND COWBOYS (12)
Tries: Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow, Kyle Feldt
Conversions: Valentine Holmes (2/2)
PENRITH PANTHERS (32)
Tries: Brian To'o, Stephen Crichton, Josh Mansour, Jarome Luai, Viliame Kikau, Brent Naden
Conversions: Nathan Cleary (4/6)