Hosting the Penrith Panthers in a blockbuster Pre-Season Challenge at BB Print Stadium in Mackay, it only took the North Queensland Cowboys two minutes to open up the scoring.
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MATCH CENTRE: Cowboys vs Panthers teams, scores, updates
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A brilliant face-ball pass from Scott Drinkwater saw winger Braidon Burns cross for the opening try of the match against a second-tier Panthers side primarily made up of NSW Cup and Under-21s Jersey Flegg Cup players.
Before Jaxon Purdue made it two tries in four minutes.
“Looking at Purdue for the balance of this side he needs to play centre,” Brent Tate said.
“He just gives them a lot more strike. The Cowboys have two good young centres in Purdue and Laybutt who look very hard to handle.”
Continuing the run riot on their opponents, Reed Mahoney finds the reliable Scott Drinkwater in his first match in new colours, who crosses the line for a try.
“He’s up in Townsville to prove a point with the Cowboys, Mahoney. He’s been in everything good for the Cowboys tonight. He has been involved in every try with his passing and his vision out of dummyhalf,” Kevin Walters said on Fox League.
“He has some good options with Dearden and Drinkwater outside him. That’s what he brings to a football team. He has found a new home up north and he looks pretty good to me.
“He is showing us he is a very good player.”
Less than five minutes later, the Cowboys make it 22-0 with Braidon Burns making it a double down the right edge of the field before Jake Clifford adds four more of a well-timed play from the scrum straight after the drinks break.
Just as everything was going the way of the home side, centre Zac Laybutt found himself sent to the sin-bin due to a lifting tackle and could face scrutiny from the match review committee over the next 24 hours.
But it doesn’t stop the home side, who score two more through Jake Clifford and Heilum Luki.
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TEAMS
Cowboys team: 1. Scott Drinkwater 2. Braidon Burns 3. Jaxon Purdue 4. Zac Laybutt 5. Murray Taulagi 6. Jake Clifford 7. Tom Dearden 8. Coen Hess 9. Reed Mahoney 10. Jason Taumalolo 11. Heilum Luki 12. Sam McIntyre 13. Reuben Cotter 14. Soni Luke 15. Thomas Mikaele 16. Matthew Lodge 17. John Bateman 18. Liam Sutton 19. Mason Barber 20. Kai O’Donnell 21. Harrison Edwards 22. Jaxson Paulo 23. Robert Derby 24. Ethan King
Panthers team: 1. Jaxen Edgar 2. Jesse McLean 3. Patrick Moimoi 4. Sione Fonua 5. Nick Murphy 6. Keahn Skipps 7. Kurt Falls 8. Delahia Wigmore 9. Billy Scott 10. Tobias Crosby 11. Zakauri Clarke 12. Kalani Going 13. Billy Phillips 14. Jenson Tuaoi 15. Jakeb Vailalo 16. Vea Tapa’atoutai 17. Harry Armstrong 18. Tuaomaliemavaitoelau Patea 19. Isaiah Scanlan 20. Hokafonu Lemoto 21. Jirah Liddiard 22. Braye Porter 23. Haami Loza 24. Josh Ruxton
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