‘Shattered’: North Queensland champion Jason Taumalolo left speechless after agonising defeat

North Queensland co-captain Jason Taumalolo was “lost for words” after the Cowboys’ shock four-point loss to the Parramatta Eels.

North Queensland co-captain Jason Taumalolo.

North Queensland co-captain Jason Taumalolo was “lost for words” after the Cowboys’ shock four-point loss to the Parramatta Eels in Friday evening’s preliminary final in Townsville.

The Eels, who at one stage were trailing 20-14 in the second half, clinched a remarkable comeback victory at Queensland Country Bank Stadium to book their spot in next weekend’s NRL grand final, where they will face either the Penrith Panthers or South Sydney Rabbitohs.

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Taumalolo was sin binned early in the must-win contest after connecting his shoulder with the jaw of Parramatta’s Isaiah Papali’i, who needed to go for an HIA.

And the Eels made the most of their one-player advantage, with prop Reagan Campbell-Gillard scoring a slick try in the 18th minute.

Speaking to former teammate and Queensland legend Johnathan Thurston on Channel 9 after the 24-20 defeat, Taumalolo struggled to express his emotions.

When asked how he was feeling, the veteran lock responded: “I’m a little lost for words at the moment.”

Pressed further by Thurston, he muttered: “Yeah, yeah pretty disappointing. The guys worked pretty hard, put ourselves in a position to play finals footy, and just fell short. Um, yeah.”

Taumalolo also thanked the club’s dedicated fanbase: “Yeah, half the reason why we’re here and in the position we are is because of the fans. To turn up and support us week in week out …”

Heartbreak 💔💔

A shattered Jason Taumalolo paints a despondent picture after the Cowboys Prelim loss. 😔😔#NRLCowboysEeks#NRLpic.twitter.com/nHyoIRFPy5

— NRL on Nine (@NRLonNine) September 23, 2022

Man. Taumalolo is shattered. #NRLCowboysEels

— Scott Bailey (@ScottBaileyAAP) September 23, 2022

The Cowboys had not lost their seven previous finals contests in Townsville, but the Eels broke that record in a gutsy performance on Friday night.

Parramatta opened the scoring when halfback Mitchell Moses threw a blatant forward pass to Will Penisini, who crossed untouched for a try that was unbelievably not disallowed.

The touch judge was in the perfect position to see the forward pass but remarkably let it go, much to the disbelief of rugby league fans.

Scores were all tied up at 12-12 at halftime, but Reagan Campbell-Gillard dived over once again early in the second term keep the Eels in it before Maika Sivo crossed for a crucial four-pointer to give Parramatta the lead.

It looked like the Cowboys might steal the win but winger Kyle Feldt grazed the touchline with his foot in the dying minutes, meaning his diving effort in the corner was disallowed.

The Eels were the better team, particularly in the second half, but pundits couldn’t help but wonder if Penisini’s controversial try impacted the outcome.

Maika Sivo of the Eels celebrates a try. Photo by Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images

Speaking after the game, Cowboys coach Todd Payten refused to blame the loss on the forward pass, claiming his team had enough chances to win.

“My first instinct was I thought it was forward but looking back on replay a couple of time, I thought it was pretty tight,” he said.

“It happened early enough in the game to get over it. We went in 12-all at halftime and 20-12 after 55 minutes, so we moved on pretty well.”

Parramatta had lost to Penrith in their qualifying final but bounced back with a dominant win over the Canberra Raiders to keep their premiership hopes alive.