Panthers demolish Cowboys to bring back Broncos’ 14-year nightmare
Penrith have gone back-to-back and secured the minor premiership for the second year in a row, and have messed up their closest rivals in the process.
Penrith have gone back-to-back and claimed the minor premiership for the second year in a row, with Ivan Cleary’s men hot favourites to repeat their efforts of last season after a hot finish to the 2023 regular season.
The Panthers demolished the North Queensland Cowboys 44-12 at BlueBet Stadium, sealing the top eight and has reviving a years-long nightmare for the Brisbane Broncos.
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With the Panthers in second place heading into the final round, the Broncos would have hoped to host the Warriors at Suncorp Stadium in the first week of finals, and take home the $200,000 prize money associated with the minor premiership to boot.
The Warriors have only won six games from 21 at Suncorp Stadium, but with the Broncos losing to Melbourne and Penrith demolishing the Cowboys, Kevin Walters’ men will now be forced to confront a 14-year bogeyman if they are to win in the first week of finals.
Brisbane will host Melbourne at Lang Park in the second qualifying final next week in a rematch of this week’s loss at Suncorp, which continues a losing streak at home to the Storm that dates back to 2009.
The Broncos haven’t beaten the Storm anywhere since 2017, and it will take an almighty effort from Adam Reynolds’ troops to do so next week.
The Panthers’ win also locked in a number of other finals spots.
The Cowboys are now out, the Raiders are safe regardless of their result against the Sharks, and the Roosters also live to fight another day.
In front of another sold out crowd which included the club’s old boys, the Panthers secured their third minor premiership in four seasons and sent the Cowboys home to pick at the entrails of a disappointing game and season.
Unlike Manly’s caution-to-the-wind approach at 4 Pines Park in Round 24, the Cowboys threw little but stock plays at a Panthers machine which quickly settled into a rhythm and muscled their opponents out of it.
North Queensland appeared almost resigned that they couldn’t win. Or at least had no bullets to fire. They made just one offload in the first 50 minutes. They appeared to go through the motions.
Even the injection of Jason Taumalolo after 20 minutes failed to spark anything penetrative in a Cowboys’ attack that even without star backs Val Holmes and Jeremiah Nanai, trotted out eight Origin players and six internationals.
Yet they could barely land a punch on a ruthless Panthers side that cemented status as premiership favourites and will welcome back Jarome Luai and Chris Kenny for their finals campaign.
A searing run by Sunia Turuva was followed by a six-again before Jack Cogger, in for the injured Jarome Luai, put Stephen Crichton over in the south-eastenr corner.
Crichton was in the game again when he flew over Chad Townsend to tap back a kick, the ball falling for Cogger who fed Turuva who dived over out wide.
If Crichton wasn’t carving the Cowboys on the edges or revving up teammates he was delighting the crowd with jolting, driving defence.
Tries to Liam Martin, Brian To’o and second-gamer Luke Sommerton, 23, saw the home team go to the break leading 26-nil.
It was the sixth time Penrith have kept an opponent scoreless at the break this season.
The Cowboys threw the ball about early in the second-half and after eight minutes posted converted tries to Griffin Neame and Zac Laybutt.
But when Crichton flick-passed for Turuva who went over for his double, the engraving on the JJ Giltinan Shield could commence.
In the 60th minute hard-hitting backrower Martin was ordered off the field for a HIA that was adjudged category two.
Martin passed the assessment and will be free to play next weekend against the Warriors at BlueBet Stadium.
– with NCA NewsWire
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