The Cowboys have claimed a 16-6 win over the Panthers at a soaked BlueBet Stadium in a match decimated by a lack of Origin stars.
The Panthers started with a poor mistake as they kicked the ball out on the full, but didn't go punished as a Kyle Feldt try was rubbed out due to an obstruction. But it wouldn't be long before North Queensland did get the first points, as Scott Drinkwater fired a lovely looping cut out to put Feldt over in the corner.
Drinkwater was soon sent to the bin for a professional foul, but almost immediately Feldt took an intercept and put the Cowboys back in attacking position. That same set the Panthers were stripped for numbers despite having the man advantage and Braidon Burns made it 12-0.
But possession would slowly swing to the Panthers, and after Sunia Turuva was denied a try by some great scramble defence Penrith set up shop inside the Cowboys 10. They received 5 penalties in as many sets, which included Jaxon Purdue being sin binned for a trip, and eventually North Queensland cracked with Brad Schneider getting a try to bring the game back to 12-6. Chad Townsend missed a field goal in the dying stages and the score remained at the break.
The second half turned into a slog fest, with both sides coming to grips with increasingly wet conditions. Eventually the bounce of the ball went the way of the Cowboys, with a deflected grubber being taken 70 metres by Drinkwater before Purdue crossed on the next play to take the lead to 16-6.
From there they controlled the game, with the Panthers making mistakes at the back end of the match gruelling any chance of a comeback.
The win lifts the Cowboys to 7th on the table while the Panthers remain second, but now four points adrift of Melbourne.