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The Cowboys have asserted their dominance over Cleary’s Panther cubs to take a 38-8 lead.
Murray Taulagi, Valentine Holmes, Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow, Reece Robson and Scott Drinkwater recorded four-pointers for North Queensland.
Debutant Thomas Jenkins was sent to the bin after Holmes completed his hattrick and was substituted off the field.
MATCH CENTRE: Cowboys vs Panthers teams, SuperCoach scores, videos, updates
68TH MINUTE
Super sub Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow scored the Cowboys sixth try, finishing off a deft grubber.
Tabuai-Fidow came on in the 56th minute, replacing Holmes who completed a hattrick.
Moments later Reece Robson scored a try of his own, scooping up a Jordan McLean offload to cross untouched.
55TH MINUTE
Valentine Holmes has completed a stunning hattrick with a ridiculous effort from a 20-metre tap.
The Maroons gun turned the after-burners, finding Kyle Feldt before receiving an offload to streak away and score
“Boy he can move, he does not lose any speed changing directions,” Ennis said.
“Valentine Holmes grabs his first hattrick as a Cowboy,” Smith said.
Moments later, the Panthers crossed with only 12 on the field after Thomas Jenkins’ sin bin for a professional foul.
Charlie Staines found Fijian-flyer Sunia Turuva in space on the wing to score.
46TH MINUTE
Panthers halfback Sean O’Sullivan has orchestrated the Panthers first try of the night.
The Dolphins-bound half threw a “beautiful” ball across the face of the defence to find Robert Jennings to score.
“Really smart play from Sean O’Sullivan, beautiful ball straight across the face, beautiful from the Dolphins bound half,” Ennis said.
“O’Sullivan has done the business.”
22ND MINUTE
The Cowboys have scored a second after an unfortunate deflection fell into the hands of Valentine Holmes.
Playmaker Kurt Falls stuck his foot out to stop a Tom Dearden kick, which floated into Holmes’ path.
“Fell beautifully into his hands, the Cowboys are looking ominous,” Ennis said.
Only minutes later North Queensland struck again, with Reece Robson slicing through the defensive line with a darting run.
His fullback, Scott Drinkwater, was on hand to finish the break and score.
“What a season he is having, the majestic little fullback, just pressing through the middle, supporting, he is so dangerous, he is their X-factor and he picks up his 11th try of the season,” Ennis said.
Moments later Holmes scored his second to pile on the points.
7TH MINUTE
The Cowboys have struck first against Cleary’s under-strength Panthers courtesy of a Murray Taulagi try.
North Queensland shifted the ball left, dragging in Penrith’s outside backs to give Taulagi a saloon passage to the tryline.
“Absolutely love shot for shot footy… Holmes, great skill under pressure,” Fox League’s Michael Ennis said.
PRE-MATCH WRAP
The North Queensland Cowboys host the Penrith Panthers in a crucial clash at Queensland Country Bank Stadium.
The Cowboys have confirmed Tom Dearden will return from a ruptured testicle, with Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow switching to the bench.
MATCH CENTRE: Cowboys vs Panthers teams, SuperCoach scores, videos, updates
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The Panthers have rested a whopping 13 players after wrapping up the minor premiership, with debutants Thomas Jenkins, Liam Henry and Jack Cole getting their first crack at the NRL.
Charlie Staines starts at fullback with Sunia Turuva on the wing, but the pair could swap on game day.
Sean O’Sullivan and Kurt Falls will combine in the halves ahead of Nathan Cleary and Jarome Luai returning as a pair in the finals.
The Cowboys need to win to keep the pressure on the Sharks for a top two finish.
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