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Scott Drinkwater has shaken off rumours surrounding his future with North Queensland, powering the Cowboys to a 46-34 try-fest victory over Cronulla.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
![\"Cowboys\u2019](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/3f359c7d4b8f77e53d701f0ea4438e2d9957413b.jpeg\")
Cowboys\u2019 Scott Drinkwater celebrates the try of teammate Murray Taulagi during the round eight NRL match against the Cronulla Sharks.Getty Images<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
\u201cI gave them a couple of extra days off, which goes against my natural instinct,\u201d Payten said after Friday\u2019s win.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut 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.\u201d<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Payten expects Taulagi to miss several weeks after picking up a similar head knock against the Broncos in round six.<\/p>\n
The Sharks were boosted by the return of co-captain Cameron McInnes (ACL), but their leaky defence proved costly.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe need an attitude check to (understand) the importance of what it takes to knuckle down, play together and work hard together,\u201d coach Craig Fitzgibbon said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t really want to give the boys an excuse or make up some positives out of it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Fullback Will Kennedy was typically busy (150 metres, five tackle busts), while Nicho Hynes was instrumental with three try assists and two line-breaks.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Related Article Taulagi rolled over the line again, before Reed Mahoney and Braidon Burns rewarded the home side\u2019s energetic pace to create a 26-12 halftime lead.<\/p>\n 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\u2019 advantage.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n AAP<\/p>\n Sports news, results and expert commentary. Sign up for our Sport newsletter<\/a>.<\/p>\n Save<\/p>\n You have reached your maximum number of saved items.<\/p>\n![\"Dragons](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1777034354_283_4e485365d5b7e25b671b4b24142bab6ca40d669a.jpeg\")
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