Source: Panthers Media

The Panthers went down 22-18 to North Queensland Cowboys at CommBank Stadium on Friday.

Isaah Yeo made history as the first player to reach 250 games for the Panthers, but was not able to celebrate his milestone with a win.A spirited Panthers performance fizzled out in the second half, with the Cowboys scoring the only tries of the second forty.

A spirited Panthers performance fizzled out in the second half, with the Cowboys scoring the only tries of the second forty.

The two sides went blow-for-blow in a see-sawing first half, with the Cowboys striking first through Murray Taulagi in the 6th minute.

When the Penrith faithful rose in the 13th minute for an Isaah Yeo standing ovation, the Panthers rose with them to score a sensational try.

Isaah Yeo and Nathan Cleary combined on halfway to conjure an overlap for Tom Jenkins, who burst into the backfield before finding Casey McLean rushing up in support on the inside.

The boot of Cleary levelled the score at 6-all, before pushing the Panthers ahead.

The Panthers halfback drilled a swerving grubber across the face of goal, and Izack Tago won the race to pounce for a try. Cleary’s second conversion handed the Panthers a 12-6 lead.

Cowboys hooker Reece Robson was sent to the sin bin for high contact in the 26th minute, but the visitors managed to score in his absence via Viliami Vailea. Scott Drinkwater’s sideline conversion levelled the scores.

The Cowboys looked certain to grab another when winger Robert Derby took an intercept and pinned the ears back, before Casey McLean produced a miraculous chase to take him down and save the day.

The Panthers were duly rewarded for their desperation in defence, with Luke Garner scoring on the stroke of halftime for an 18-12 lead.

The visitors burst out of the gates after the break, setting the tone for a disappointing Panthers second half.

Jaxon Purdue and Murray Taulagi scored back-to-back tries which pushed the Cowboys ahead, and ultimately went unanswered.

The Panthers had few glimpses of the try line in the second forty. Their closest call did not come until the 75th minute when Paul Alamoti launched for the corner, only for his foot to scrape the sideline.

Izack Tago was sin binned with seconds left on the clock to the dismay of the Panthers faithful, and a late attacking raid came up short as the Cowboys came away with victory.

The Panthers travel to Brisbane in Round 6 to face the Dolphins at Suncorp Stadium.

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