WE HAVE THE FIRST DRAW OF 2025!
CLIFFORD MISSES!
Luke Garner knocks down the ball as the Cowboys had numbers on the left edge. He had to do that. Six again 40 out. Penrith playing for the draw now. 75 seconds left.
Scott Drinkwater charged it down and the referee ruled it went into Harrison Edwards but the replay shows it went into Nathan Cleary's arm. Successful challenge. Cowboys ball on their 30.
Penrith set up for the field goal 30 out! Poor pass from dummy-half from Mitch Kenny and it is charged down but the referee rules ACCIDENTAL OFFSIDE!
Cowboys on halfway on the last. Scott Drinkwater to the air and Paul Alamoti comes down with it on the 30.
Penrith look very tired. Looks like they'll need a Cowboys error to win this game.
Panthers with first use of it now in the second golden point period.
We will go to a second golden point period.
Nathan Cleary predictably targets Robert Derby who tries to trap the bomb and almost toes it into touch but dives on the ball.
The Cowboy absolutely botched it!
Blaize Talagi has had a great night but that was not the option. Plays it short to Thomas Jenkins who is jammed by the defence and drops the ball.
A standard set from the Cowboys ends with Dylan Edwards fielding the bomb on the 10-metre mark.
Underway in golden point. Cowboys with first use of it.
Onto golden point we go!
An absolute disaster on the last tackle! Mitch Kenny decides to run it on the last instead of setting up for the field goal.
Some justice as the Cowboys put it down now. Panthers ball on halfway.
Scott Drinkwater just blatantly toed a Nathan Cleary bomb ahead to Jordan McLean in an offside position and it was completely missed. That would have been a penalty goal to win it.
An absolute blunder has just robbed Penrith.
Robert Derby! He comes down with the bomb on the last and offloads to John Bateman but he can't find support. Turnover. Panthers ball on thier own 10.
Inside their own 40. Nathan Cleary sends it long. Scott Drinkwater is tackled on the 25.
Dylan Edwards with a clutch catch on a very hard bomb there. Panthers working it out from inside their own 20.
We are all level now!
The pure pace gets the Penrith defence as Scott Drinkwater splits through the middle and then finds Tom Dearden in support to score under the posts!
Drinkwater makes it a one-try game.
A big question mark over the final pass but Derby scores to set up what could be a grandstand finish!
Challenge successful. Lindsay Smith raked it out.
Robert Derby with his sixth error. Cowboys challenge.
Blaize Talagi's final pass to Brian To'o is forward now and the Panthers turn it over on the last.
To'o is staying on for now so it may be crisis averted.
Brian To'o busts a bunch of tackles on the first carry and he may be injured here!
The Cowboys try to run it on the last and it ends with Sam McIntyre putting boot to ball but it goes dead.
Cleary makes it 30-18.
You can't help but feel for Robert Derby at this point. He does well to field the tough Nathan Cleary low kick and then tries to get into the field of play but drops it and Blaize Talagi pounces to score!
This game still hangs in the balance but neither team is really doing enough to prove they are the clear favourites from this point.
That looked to be a high shot on Viliami Vailea from Thomas Jenkins but it is missed. Certainly looked worse than the one on Liam Henry.
The Panthers keep sending bombs Robert Derby's way. He hasn't produced another mistake yet... but it seems a wise strategy because he doesn't look confident either.
Cleary guides it through.
BLAIZE BREAKOUT GAME! Early kick and Thomas Jenkins has it!
Murray Taulagi penalised for a high shot on Liam Henry, who was falling into the tackle. Panthers 30 out.
Jeremiah Nanai with a massive running catch at the last tackle bomb but he spills that one.
Drinkwater adds the extras to tie it up again.
Jaxon Purdue created the field position with a big break on a Jeremiah Nanai offload. He may not have taken the right option initially, but on the next tackle he eventually finds Jake Clifford for the try!
Penrith read the last tackle play perfectly and the Cowboys go nowhere. Changeover.
A late set restart for the Cowboys. They'll have a full set 30 out.
The Cowboys recovered very well from that early set defending their own line to deny the Panthers and are now back in possession.
Reece Robson spills it and the Cowboys are under pressure immediately. Panthers 20 out.
Underway in the second half.
HALF TIME - The Panthers will be disappointed to only be one try ahead. They've had plenty of chances and lead 18-12.
Nathan Cleary instead goes for the kick off the scrum but the Cowboys are alert to it and push it dead.
Oh no! Robert Derby comes up with another error. The seconds tick down but the Panthers will at least be able to set up for a field goal.
Nothing comes of the set and Robert Derby breathes a big sigh of relief.
Robert Derby's nightmare first half continues. Nathan Cleary sends a wobbling bomb his way and he drops it. Panthers 20 out.
A very confident take from Paul Alamoti to come dwon with the last-tackle bomb.
Drinkwater bends it in from the sideline.
Vailea powers his way over as the Cowboys hit back!
Back-to-back penalties march the Cowboys up the field.
A very sloppy set from the Panthers and the Cowboys do very well to survive. Another try there may have been game over, although with the comebacks we've seen this round who knows.
More pressure coming as the Cowboys knock down another Cleary pass.
Nathan Cleary tries to thread the needle with a short ball to Isaiah Papali'i as the Panthers surge up the field and the Cowboys get a touch to it. Six again, Penrith 20 out.
Cleary sneaks it in.
This could be a coming of age game for Blaize Talagi. Nathan Cleary caught on the last tackle so they give it to the young five-eighth and he puts in a deft grubber for Luke Garner to score his second!
That set was a bit of a mess from Penrith in attack. Robert Derby comes down with the bomb and the Cowboys survive.
Robert Derby having a nightmare here. He drops it again carrying the ball up. Panthers ball 20 out.
Cleary extends the lead to 12-6.
Stripped for numbers and it's Cleary to Talagi and Garner streams through to score. Clifford got caught in looking at the lead runner, creating the space out wide.
Robert Derby doesn't get his positioning right and drops a Nathan Cleary bomb. Advantage Penrith again. Panthers will a full set 20 out.
This time Paul Alamoti contests another tricky Tom Dearden bomb and comes down with it.
Drinkwater ties it up.
Well, unless Penrith wanted to contest that awkward bomb there wasn't much to do about that. Jeremiah Nanai comes down with it, passes to Tom Dearden who finds Murray Taulagi and Jeremiah Nanai is backing up in support!
A certain try goes begging for the Panthers! Liam Martin comes down with the Nathan Cleary bomb, passes it to Blaize Talagi who spreads it to Isaiah Papali'i and he tries to link with an unmarked Brian To'o but loses the ball in the tackle of Cowboys defenders.
Viliami Vailea comes down with the last-tackle bomb and he throws it back to support but Lindsay Smith dives on it. Panthers working it out from their own end.
Liam Martin now drops the ball as the Panthers work it up over the 40. Bad habits creeping in early. Errors have killed Penrith in their early losses this season. They can't afford to start turning it over again here, even if they made a strong start.
Jake Clifford kicks before the last and there is just too much on it. It goes dead. Penrith slowed the play-the-ball down quite a bit in that set. Maybe fortunate not to get pinged for a set restart.
Tom Dearden with a very tricky bomb and Dylan Edwards spills it. Just as Penrith looked to be well on top, an error invites the Cowboys into it.
A great set after points from Penrith. They go 50 metres before Nathan Cleary sends a bomb to Murray Taulagi who comes down with it on his 10-metre line.
Cleary adds the extras.
A massive question mark over the pass from Blaize Talagi to Papali'i but the referee says it is good!
The Panthers are able to retain possession on the short dropout.
The Panthers didn't really fire a shot in that set but Nathan Cleary forces a dropout with a nicely-placed kick.
Both sides trading sets early here... but Viliami Vailea drops the ball on his own 20 suddenly and it's first chance for the Panthers who are on the attack!
Underway at Townsville!
Good evening and welcome to League Unlimited's live update of tonight's game from North Queensland. Kick-off shortly.
Referees & scorers:
Referee: Todd Smith
Touch Judges: Tyson Brough, Nick Pelgrave
Video Referee: Chris Butler
NORTH QUEENSLAND COWBOYS (30)
Tries: Jeremiah Nanai, Viliami Vailea, Jake Clifford, Robert Derby, Tom Dearden
Field Goals: Scott Drinkwater (0/1), Jake Clifford (0/1)
Two Point Field Goals: Scott Drinkwater (0/0), Jake Clifford (0/1)
Conversions: Scott Drinkwater (5/5)
Penalty Goals:
PENRITH PANTHERS (30)
Tries: Isaiah Papali'i, Luke Garner (2), Thomas Jenkins, Blaize Talagi
Field Goals:
Two Point Field Goals:
Conversions: Nathan Cleary (5/5)
Penalty Goals: