Penrith Beats the Cowboys in a Late Scare
In Townsville, the Penrith Panthers defeated the North Queensland Cowboys 26–20, holding off a team that was finishing quickly. On Saturday night, the premiers had a 24-4 lead after 45 minutes before the Cowboys rallied. The home team scored the game’s last three attempts and nearly put the game to overtime in the closing minutes. Penrith, however, refused to concede Nathan Clearly’s comeback. At times, particularly in the second half, the Panthers were their own worst enemies because they turned the ball over and gave up penalties that placed pressure on them.
ABC Sport was informed by Captain Isaah Yeo that his team has “things to fix” going forward. “I thought we did alright to hold on, but we’re just making it hard on ourselves at the minute,” he stated. “Got out of jail on that one, I think.” Penrith will be happy with their defensive performance, especially in the first forty minutes, even though they gave up three tries in the second half. In spite of the Cowboys having the upper hand in possession and territory, they limited North Queensland to just four points in the first half. North Queensland will regret their errors in the interim. In the closing seconds of the first half, Paul Alamoti’s interception of a Scott Drinkwater ball increased the Panthers’ advantage to 18-4.
Liam Martin’s goal early in the second half gave Penrith a 24-4 lead after he retrieved a Semi Valemei drop ball.
Leave a Reply