Round 9
Cowboys 22 d. Panthers 6

2006 NRL Telstra Premiership Index [Table] [Draw] [Player Stats] [Club Headlines]

Location: Aus_NZ > National > First Grade Competition: NRL Telstra Premiership

Live Scores and Commentary: North Queensland Cowboys vs Penrith Panthers
Sat May 6, 2006
rleague.com will bring you Live Scores and Commentary from the two live matches tonight courtesy of Fox Sports. This commentary will be unofficially sponsored by Sol - Imported Mexican Beer now available in Australia from selected liquor outlets! And I can tell you after a few throughout the first game of the night that it's a beer well worth drinking!

Please come back to this article and refresh for updates ...

Pre Game: A few changes to the line-up for the Panthers ... Luke Lewis to 5/8th, Campbell to halfback and Nick Youngquest shifts in to the centres. There's some rain around as the Cowboys run out onto the ground. Luke O'Donnell is out and Gavin Cooooooooper has come in. First grade debut for referee Cummins ... I'l try and keep it clean.

1st min: Scott drops the ball under heavy attention from the Panthers defence. Panthers get the ball in good attacking position.

2nd min: Good kick from Campbell but a great take from Bowen on the run to get back into the field of play. Cowboys working it out from their own goal line through the forwards. Thurston spreads it and finds some space up the left side to have Brenton Bowen get to halfway. Kick is ok and the Panthers are working it out. Offside penalty given away! Panthers kick for touch. Not premature from Cummins.

4th min: The rain is getting heavier. The Panthers nearly went in via Priddis but Brenton Bowen snaffles the pass, in the air, over the touch line and gets it back to Bowman spectacularly!

5th min: Good kick at the end of the set and the Panthers are working it out from their own 20m zone. One out, safety first stuff from the Panthers but an offload goes astray and Priddis knocks on. Very slight knock on, good pick up by the referee. Cowboys on the attack.

7th min: Bowman gets across the line but looks to have taken the corner post. Referred to the video referee and it looks a very, very close call. Nothing in it, but it should be no try.

7th min, but a bit after the last 7th min: No try is the call and there's a restart for the Panthers. Very tight match so far ...

8th min: Campbell's kick is too deep and the Cowboys have a 20m restart.

9th min: One out stuff again. Mitchell Sargent drops the ball after being lifted. Knock on against the Cowboys and the Panthers have it. Wet conditions making it tough, ensuring Cummins is involved. Panthers lose it, and then concede a penalty! Absolute rubbish from the Panthers here after a good decision by Matt Sing in defence.

11th min: Penalty against the Panthers ... Sing taken out after Thurston puts the kick through. Very wet weather football so far, it's barely more entertaining than watching paint dry.

13th min: Brenton Bowen is in! Matt Bowen put in a great kick after the Cowboys had looked to have taken the wrong option. Fantastic take above Preston Campbell and we have the first points of the night. Much better than watching paint dry! Cowboys 4-0

14th min: Thurston to add the extras. Rain is bucketing down and the kick is a bit of a shocker. Cowboys 4-0

15th min: Conjecture over the kick off ... looks to have gone over the dead ball line on the full but on the replay it was in by the length of Mark O'Meley's hair. Panthers on the attack after the dropout.

16th min: Priddis' kick is too big but he was knocked over and gets the penalty after being knocked over by Cowboys defenders. Priddis grasping his leg, possible cork and he's hobbling around a bit. Panthers are taking the tap.

17th min: Youngquest knocks it forward after a cross field kick. Restart for the Cowboys.

18th min: Great kick at the end of the set sees Bowen on Wesser. Panthers looking absolutely buggered working it out. Campbell finds Matt Bowen on the full around the 20, and Bowen make the 40m line.

20th min: Wesser lets it go, Brenton Bowen knocks on inches out from the line after a great kick. Priddis is still in trouble but trying to play on. Panthers have about as much direction as a faulty compass at the moment ... why is Priddis still on there?

22nd min: Safe set from the Cowboys with a reasonable kick at the end. Panthers working it up, Priddis seems to be trying hard but he's hobbling like a three-legged dog. Kick goes straight to Bowen as Priddis leaves the field and Paul Aiton comes on for him. More one out football but Thurston almost pulls off a 40/20!

24th min: The BBQ ribs have arrived, so updates might be a little slow ... thanks to James Stewart for your work.

26th min: Good kick from the Cowboys but a poor chase. Wesser cleans up and the Panthers work it out again ...

28th min: Penalty against the Cowboys, although it probably could have gone against the Panthers for Pritchard not getting up to play the ball. Panthers on the attack. Ribs are good by the way ...

31st min: Fantastic 40/20 from Matt Bowen! Cowboys on the attack, using Webb like a battering ram.

33rd min: MIstake by the Cowboys captain, and then a mistake from replacement hooker Aiton for the Panthers. Cowboys on the attack again, hopefully we'll see something other than one out footy or dropped ball.

34th min: Thurston dummies and goes over under the sticks. Panthers defence has been indifferent. Cowboys 8-0

35th min: Thurston adds the extras. Cowboys 10-0

37th min: Bowen makes an awful error and the Panthers are on the attack leading into halftime.

40th min: Mistake after mistake as both sides try to score before halftime. Too busy easting ribs to worry about who did what. All I know is it was crap, and not worth typing a description about. Wet weather is making an expansive game from the Cowboys very difficult, and the Panthers are lacking direction with Priddis off the field and only one genuine playmaker on the field.

HALFTIME: Cowboys 10-0.

Rib Update: The ribs were good. FIrst up effort from Jim was pretty fair, although they did dry out a little bit. Lots of tender meat near the bone, and with a bit of extra BBQ they were very good. 7.5/10.

42nd min: Cowboys force Rooney into touch after a grubber into the corner. Good chase by the Cowboys, and the wet conditions make it tough for Rooney to do anything. Cowboys with an early chance ...

43rd min: Puletua closes a hole for the Panthers! Looks like someone is in pain ... which can happen when your hole is closed too quickly. Panthers have the ball and after working it out have kicked deep. Cowboys coming back from the 40m line.

45th min: Wesser cleans up a kick and gets a penalty after a bit of head-stroking on behalf of the Cowboys. The hit to the head must've affected Wesser, because his last pass when 5 metres behind the target.

46th min: Turnover AGAIN by the Cowboys, Puletua does the job again. Offload from Stapleton ends up with the Cowboys and they surge down field through Bowen. Panthers concede a penalty and Nick Youngquest is given 10 in the bin for sliding with his knees into the tackled players back late.

48th min: Campbell with a great take! Pressure valve is released just a little, but the Panthers are doing it tough. Cowboys options late in the tackle count have been as selective as John Candy in a Sizzler.

49th min: Forward pass from Payne to Jensen. Probably line-ball but not a poor call. Melbourne are leading 14-6 in the other game, 50 minutes gone.

51st min: It's turned into an NFL game! Another forward pass, this time from the Panthers. The game has gotten scrappy, and quite one out. Thankfully I have beer to dull the pain of such a boring game. Mmmmmmmmmm, beeeeeeer.

52nd min: More awful football. The Cowboys die with the ball on the last, attempting to run it when the Panthers were well set. Ho hum.

53rd min: Wow! Matt Bowen takes a bomb! Something exciting ... I feel all tingly. This game is as exciting as a game of tiddlywinks at the moment. It's not even a grinding game, it's just slow and sloppy.

55th min: Poor kick from Wesser straight to Bowen. Defensive line did come up quickly though, and turned an ordinary kick into a reasonable one. Cowboys work it out of their own end, again. Chip and chase attempted when passing would have done, and Wesser gets to the ball. He then loses it in the tackle, and the Cowboys get it at the scrum.

57th min: Youngquest comes back onto the field with the Cowboys in possession 20m out. Bowen kicks for himself absolutely selfishly and it's cleaned up easily. The Cowboys had numbers to the right but there was vision.

59th min: Another rubbish kick, this time from Norton. Thurston almost sliced them up, only to be grabbed by his oversize jersey. The ref misses a blatent dropped ball from the Panthers on their goal line and get out of jail.

60th min: Neither side is playing champagne football. If I had to describe it in terms of a drink, it'd be Sewerage Football.

63rd min: Brenton Bowen goes close to grabbing a double, pulled down just short. Last tackle kick was awful but the Panthers were offside, and the Cowboys get yet another chance. Aaron Payne goes straight through and scores under the post ... finally! Cowboys 14-0

65th min: Thurston kicks the goal, and you'd think the Cowboys will get home. The Panthers have as much penetration as Tony Greig's key into Astroturf! Cowboys 16-0

66th min: Offside against the Cowboys, Panthers get the ball.

67th min: Shane Rodney gets through the defence but loses the ball over the line! The Cowboys through Thurston and Bowen get out of the in-goal and work it out. Another poor option on the kick, this time from Payne. The Cowboys had a 4 on 2 overlap but play very, very safe instead.

70th min: More dropped ball. I have started watching the game through my half-full beer glass and the Panthers players look funny. I don't think Preston Campbell has ever looked so solid, but the grass is a kind of baby poo yellow colour. I think I'll stop doing that now and drink my beer instead.

71st min: The Panthers are finally in. Shane Rodney gets across the line after the weight of possession finally saw some reward. I had to rely on the replay because I was too busy finishing my beer, but it's definitely a try to the Panthers. No nudie run for the coach, and we are all better off for that! Cowboys 16-4

72nd min: Campbell kicks the goal. Woo. More holes being closed according to the commentators. Cowboys 16-6

73rd min: Kickoff is out on the full. Surely the Cowboys couldn't lose another game they should have won, two weeks in a row?

74th min: Thurston forces an error from the try-scorer Rodney. Cowboys coming out from their own end. Cowboys kick through Thurston and play the safe option.

76th min: Thurston kicks dead. Safe footy and the Cows seem as though they are home. Another mistake from the Panthers and the Cowboys are looking to score again. Cowboys look like they are lassoing themselves running around in circles!

78th min: Shane Tronc falls over the line, but it goes upstairs to check for obstruction. Looks to be fine to me, but we'll wait for the call. And it's a T-R-Y. TRY! Cowboys 20-6

79th min: Thurston curls it through David Beckham like, and the Cowboys have reversed their mini-slide in unconvincing fashion. Cowboys 22-6

80th min: Carl Webb goes for a massive run, but the siren sounds when Thurston is tackled with the ball.

FULLTIME: Thank goodness that game is over! I have seen some ordinary games this season but this was one of the worst at times. The Cowboys did enough, but the Panthers didn't really give themselves a chance, and they never really overcame the loss of Priddis on top of Gower succumbing before the game.


And that's it from rleague.com's live coverage for this evening. We trust you enjoyed it, but don't expect it to return any time soon! And by the way, Melbourne are up 34-14 with a few minutes to go so it's safe to assume they are home. That makes Saturday night winners the Raiders, Cowboys and Storm.

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