North Queensland were left a player down twice in the first half, but managed to survive and record a crucial 16-6 victory over Penrith on Sunday afternoon.
In a rain-affected clash at BlueBet Stadium, young gun Jaxon Purdue and star fullback Scott Drinkwater were both given their marching orders before the half-time break.
Purdue was binned for a trip on Daine Laurie as Penrith found their way across the line through Brad Schneider to claim their first points of the match.
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”It looked like a trip,” Phil Gould said in commentary on Nine.
“He had beaten his opponent. Had he (Purdue) kept his foot in, I think Laurie would’ve found his way over the line.”
His sin bin came after several sets and mounting pressure on the Cowboys, who were stuck defending their own line.
“That’s the first trip this year that I’ve seen go to the bin,” Billy Slater said on Nine.
“It’s normally just a fine,” Gould replied.
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In the 13th minute, Scott Drinkwater was handed marching orders for a professional foul on James Fisher-Harris.
Fisher-Harris broke through a gap to put the Panthers on the front-foot before Drinkwater pulled the prop down from an offside position.
“That was a muck up, wasn’t it?” Gould said.
Despite leading by six into halftime and losing Heilum Luki to a HIA, the Cowboys remained in complete control of the game.
Luki was taken from the field after being bundled over in a strong carry from Panthers winger Sunia Turuva, but was deemed to be showing category two symptoms.
“That might be the end of his night, he came reeling out of the tackle,” Gould said.
Moments after the back-rower left the field, a break down the middle by Drinkwater set up Purdue to score the solitary try in the final 40 minutes and it was enough for the visitors to hold on and move into the top-eight.