North Queensland have sensationally been forced to play the final 12 minutes of Saturday's 22-20 NRL defeat to Manly with just 12 men after running out of interchanges.
When prop Jordan McLean was forced off the field in the 68th minute with a hamstring injury, Cowboys coach Paul Green was hamstrung himself after using up his allocated eight substitutions at 1300SMILES Stadium.
Leg drive: Josh McGuire of the Cowboys hangs onto Martin Taupau.Credit:AAP
It didn't help that Cowboys centre Mitch Dunn was taken from the field on a medicab after falling awkwardly fielding a 66th-minute bomb.
Both teams had two players backing up from Wednesday's State of Origin match in Brisbane, with North Queensland's Michael Morgan and Josh McGuire taking the field along with Manly's Daly Cherry-Evans and Jake Trbojevic.
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The Sea Eagles' gritty victory snapped North Queensland's three-match winning streak and gave them a 7-6 record.
It capped a superb week for Manly and Queensland skipper Cherry-Evans, who celebrated victory in his first NRL match since round seven after returning from an ankle injury in Queensland's Origin victory.
Manly star fullback Tom Trbojevic, making his return from a nine-week hamstring injury, looked rusty and his timing was off at times but he still played a crucial role in the victory.
He set up the opening try for second-rower Curtis Sironen with a crisp pass in the 23rd minute but dropped a John Asiata bomb that ultimately resulted in Cowboys interchange Francis Molo bagging his first NRL try just before half-time, as the hosts went to the break leading 20-12.
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Australian Breaking News Headlines
North Queensland have sensationally been forced to play the final 12 minutes of Saturday's 22-20 NRL defeat to Manly with just 12 men after running out of interchanges.
When prop Jordan McLean was forced off the field in the 68th minute with a hamstring injury, Cowboys coach Paul Green was hamstrung himself after using up his allocated eight substitutions at 1300SMILES Stadium.
Leg drive: Josh McGuire of the Cowboys hangs onto Martin Taupau.Credit:AAP
It didn't help that Cowboys centre Mitch Dunn was taken from the field on a medicab after falling awkwardly fielding a 66th-minute bomb.
Both teams had two players backing up from Wednesday's State of Origin match in Brisbane, with North Queensland's Michael Morgan and Josh McGuire taking the field along with Manly's Daly Cherry-Evans and Jake Trbojevic.
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The Sea Eagles' gritty victory snapped North Queensland's three-match winning streak and gave them a 7-6 record.
It capped a superb week for Manly and Queensland skipper Cherry-Evans, who celebrated victory in his first NRL match since round seven after returning from an ankle injury in Queensland's Origin victory.
Manly star fullback Tom Trbojevic, making his return from a nine-week hamstring injury, looked rusty and his timing was off at times but he still played a crucial role in the victory.
He set up the opening try for second-rower Curtis Sironen with a crisp pass in the 23rd minute but dropped a John Asiata bomb that ultimately resulted in Cowboys interchange Francis Molo bagging his first NRL try just before half-time, as the hosts went to the break leading 20-12.
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