North Queensland have put themselves back in the NRL finals hunt after an 89th-minute Scott Drinkwater try pinched them a vital 27-23 win against Penrith.
In a contender for game of the season despite eight players across both teams missing to State of Origin, North Queensland came back from 22-12 down in the second half to seal the win in a pulsating eight-and-a-half minutes of extra-time.
The Cowboys looked to have the game won on Friday when halfback Chad Townsend drained a 79th-minute field goal, only for stand-in Penrith backup No.7 Jack Cogger to return the favour with one second left in regulation time.
North Queensland then had the best chance in golden point to win via a 50 metre penalty goal attempt from winger Kyle Feldt, before it went well wide.
But when a 90-minute draw loomed, Drinkwater dashed past countless Panthers to score himself on a play initially designed for another field goal attempt.
The win moved North Queensland to within one point of the top eight, after their season looked in real danger of fading away before a 45-20 win over Melbourne last time out.
It capped a remarkable turnaround for a North Queensland side that looked disinterested at times in the first half, as lazy defence gifted Penrith a 20-12 halftime advantage.
Cowboys coach Todd Payten admitted he’d feared the worst at that point, after 20 first-half missed tackles allowed Izack Tago to score an early double for Penrith before Jaeman Salmon and Tom Jenkins also crossed.
“There were some vacant eyes at halftime which always makes me concerned," Payten said.
"But I was pleased with the way we started (the second half), we went seven from seven in completions and some of our more experienced guys really stood up."
Payten said the victory was arguable better than his side's big win over the highly-ranked Storm.
“That will be right next door to it," Payten said.
"Probably even a bit better given that we were eight points down at halftime and the way the last 10 minutes unfolded.
“If that finish goes against us we'd have to really regroup, physically it was challenging, they're going to be exhausted over the next three, four days.
“We got punched in the face a couple of times. Down eight points at halftime challenged the lads to stand up together as a team, and they did that.”
After a penalty goal put Penrith 22-12 up after the break, back-to-back tries for second-rower Kulikefu Finefeuiaki and Kyle Feldt levelled the scores for North Queensland.
Five-eighth Tom Dearden also made the most of his release from Queensland’s State of Origin camp with a stunning display, scoring one try and assisting another two.
Dearden had a hand in both his team’s first-half tries, finding Drinkwater after his smart line break and scoring soon after from a similarly clever Feldt kick.
Missing Nathan Cleary and Moses Leota along with their Origin stars, Penrith's loss coincided with the most points they have conceded in a single game this season.
Despite that, some impressive cameos from their fill-in talents meant they nearly escaped with victory.
“We were in a position to win that game, but we opened the door for them in various ways,” coach Ivan Cleary said.
“At 22-12 we just offered up opportunities and then just weren't resilient enough tonight ... defensively that's not really what we're about so I was disappointed with that.”
