Sebastian Tan
Scott Drinkwater has shaken off rumours surrounding his future with North Queensland, powering the Cowboys to a 46-34 try-fest victory over Cronulla.
There had been speculation the fullback could move to St George Illawarra at the conclusion of the season, despite being contracted until the end of 2027.
But the 28-year-old looked intent on delivering for the Cowboys, registering a try, three try assists, a crucial 40/20, and seven tackle busts at Queensland Country Bank Stadium on Friday.
His efforts helped North Queensland bounce back from a 38-6 thumping by Manly last Thursday in what coach Todd Payten described as a flat performance.
“I gave them a couple of extra days off, which goes against my natural instinct,” Payten said after Friday’s win.
“But I just saw the petrol tank low on fumes. The players responded, looked after themselves, and bounced into training… To win five of the last six games and put us in a decent position moving forward is pleasing.”
Back-rower Jeremiah Nanai returned from shoulder reconstruction surgery, but winger Murray Taulagi upstaged his comeback, scoring a hat-trick and posting three line-breaks for the home team, although he left the field early with a concussion.
Payten expects Taulagi to miss several weeks after picking up a similar head knock against the Broncos in round six.
The Sharks were boosted by the return of co-captain Cameron McInnes (ACL), but their leaky defence proved costly.
“We need an attitude check to (understand) the importance of what it takes to knuckle down, play together and work hard together,” coach Craig Fitzgibbon said.
“I don’t really want to give the boys an excuse or make up some positives out of it.”
Fullback Will Kennedy was typically busy (150 metres, five tackle busts), while Nicho 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 Siosifa Talakai crossed to help the visitors equalise.
Moments later Talakai bagged his second after some silky hands from teammates, before North Queensland hit back when Taulagi scored off the back of a Toby Rudolf error.
Taulagi rolled over the line again, before Reed Mahoney and Braidon Burns rewarded the home side’s energetic pace to create a 26-12 halftime lead.
The Sharks had a glimmer of hope when Oregon Kaufusi offloaded the ball to Blayke Brailey, who flopped over, but Taulagi grabbed a third try to extend the Cowboys’ advantage.
Cronulla got themselves back in the contest again when KL Iro grabbed a double, before Soni Luke scuttled over in the 66th minute to open up an eight-point buffer.
After Drinkwater kicked a 40/20, Tom Dearden joined in on the fun when he slipped through to score, before Iro and Heilum Luki crossed late.
AAP
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