'He's got to go': Second Cowboy binned after teenage star's blatant ...

The Cowboys have delivered a gritty and tough victory, beating the three-time reigning premiers 16-6 on their home soil at BlueBet Stadium.

North Queensland coach Todd Payten made the tough decision to rest every single on of his Origin stars, with Reuben Cotter, Jeremiah Nanai, Reece Robson, Valentine Holmes, Murray Taulagi and Tom Dearden sidelined.

The Panthers, meanwhile, were missing Jarome Luai, Liam Martin, Dylan Edwards and Brian To’o, with Isaah Yeo cleared to take the field after Game II.

MATCH CENTRE: Panthers v Cowboys, scores, stats

The only place to watch every game of every round LIVE with no ad-breaks during play is Fox League, available on Kayo. New to Kayo? Start your free trial today >

The rain poured down at the foot of the mountain, and from the get go the Cowboys were dominant with Kyle Feldt being denied an early try by the Bunker.

However, he couldn’t be kept out and scored moments later, flying on to Scott Drinkwater lofted pass.

Drinkwater was then given his marching orders, being sent to the sin bin for a professional foul after tackling Mitch Kenny from an offside position.

But with only 12 men, it was the Cowboys who scored the next try through Braidon Burns after a full-field break from an intercept.

On the stroke of halftime, Brad Schneider was able to get one back on his opponents who were once again reduced to 12 men in the 32nd minute.

With Daine Laurie flying through the line, teenage gun Jaxon Purdue stuck a foot out, tripping the Panthers fullback who looked almost certain to score.

Going to the break the score sat at 12-6 to the visitors, and in the second half their defensive resolve continued, keeping Penrith out for a further 40 minutes.

The only four-pointer came from Purdue, who strolled over the line after a Scott Drinkwater break before defending their line impressively on multiple occasions.

“They have been outstanding, two players in the bin,” Corey Parker said.

“Energy, pressure, everything you love to see has been shown in abundance by the Cowboys.”

Their performance sees the Cowboys slot into the top eight, sitting in seventh which pushes the Broncos down the 10th position.

North Queensland also haven’t won at BlueBet Stadium sincw 2016.

COWBOYS VETERAN SHINES

The Cowboys were brilliant on Sunday afternoon, and once again one of the club’s stalwarts delivered once again on the wing.

Kyle Feldt showed why he’s a key player for the Cowboys, delivering on both ends of the park to steer his side to a big win.

He scored a first half try, and also sparked another in the first half after an 80-metre intercept, with Braidon Burns scoring in the corner.

For rugby league legend Greg Alexander, Feldt’s performance was the perfect wingers display.

“The things Kyle Feldt does on the footy field are extraordinary, whether it’s in defence or attack,” Alexander said.

He finished the night with 164 running metres, two tackle breaks, a line break and a try.

A PERFECT REPLACEMENT

Over the last three seasons the Panthers have been hailed for their recruitment in the halves, poaching the perfect replacements for Nathan Cleary.

The gun halfback has been sidelined due to a hamstring injury, but in past seasons has been unavailable for several games through the Origin period.

Brad Schneider and Jack Cole have filled those roles, doing a solid job in the halves slots, but there’s another position that’s needed a man to step up and take over this season.

With Dylan Edwards also now a representative star, off-season recruit Daine Laurie has been nothing short of excellent when called on to play at the back and continued his form against the Cowboys.

“He’s been outstanding Daine Laurie… playing a very similar role to what we see with Edwards, very safe,” Corey Parker said.

He finished the night with an impressive 216 running metres, eight tackle breaks and one offload, being one of Penrith’s few shining lights.

COWBOYS TURN THEIR FORTUNES AROUND

It was only three rounds ago the Cowboys were sitting in 12th, with a finals berth looking like a potential stretch for Todd Payten’s outfit.

North Queensland suffered five losses in-a-row between Round 6 to Round 10 before losing again in Round 14 to the Warriors.

However, they’ve turned their fortunes around with back-to-back victories, upsetting the NRL’s premiership favourites on their home turf.

Their defence has been poor so far this year, but it was their defence that secured them a win in Round 17.

“They have been outstanding, two players in the bin,” Corey Parker said.

“Energy, pressure, everything you love to see has been shown in abundance by the Cowboys.”

In the wet they completed at 89 per cent, making three less errors than their opponents despite having only 42 per cent of territory.

FOLLOW ALONG IN THE LIVE BLOG BELOW. CAN’T SEE IT? CLICK HERE!