Sebastian Tan
Scot Drinkwater has shaken off rumors about his future with North Queensland, leading the Cowboys to a 46-34 tri-fest victory over Cronulla.
There had been speculation that the full-back could move to St George Illawarra at the end of the season despite having a contract until the end of 2027.
But the 28-year-old looked set to deliver for the Cowboys at Queensland Country Bank Stadium on Friday, bagging a try, three try assists, a crucial 40/20, and seven tackle busts.
His efforts helped North Queensland bounce back from a crushing 38-6 defeat by Manly last Thursday in what coach Todd Patton described as a flat performance.
“I gave them a couple extra days off, which is against my natural instinct,” Payten said after Friday’s win.
“But I just saw less of a gas tank than smoke. The players responded, took care of themselves, and bounced back in training … It’s good to win five of the last six games and put us in a good position going forward.”
Back-rower Jeremiah Nanai returned from shoulder reconstruction surgery, but winger Murray Tulagi accelerated his comeback, scoring a hat-trick and posting three line breaks for the home side, although he left the field early with an injury.
Payton expects Tolgi to miss several weeks after picking up a similar head knock against the Broncos in round six.
The return of co-captain Cameron McInnes (ACL) gave the Sharks a boost, but their leaky defense proved costly.
“We need an attitude test to understand the importance of that, what it takes to play together and work together,” coach Craig Fitzgibbon said.
“I don’t really want to give the guys any excuses or make anything positive out of it.”
Full-back Will Kennedy was usually busy (150 metres, five tackle busts) while Nico Hynes was instrumental with three try assists and two line breaks.
It took less than four minutes for the Cowboys to open the scoring when Drinkwater stormed over, but Siosefa Talakai helped the visitors level.
Moments later Talakai got his second after some silky hands from teammates, before North Queensland hit back when Tulagi scored on a mistake by Toby Rudolph.
Taulagi again rolled over the line, before Reid Mahoney and Braden Burns rewarded the home side’s spirited pace to take a 26-12 half-time lead.
The Sharks saw a glimmer of hope when Oregon Kafusi offloaded the ball to Blake Briley, who flopped, but Tulagi made a third try to extend the Cowboys’ advantage.
Cronulla clawed themselves back into the contest when KL Iro grabbed a double, before Sonny Luke opened up an eight-point buffer in the 66th minute.
After Drinkwater kicked 40/20, Tom Dearden joined in the fun as he slid in to score, before Iro and Helm Loki crossed late on.
AAP
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