As it happened: Manly end slump; Cows hammer Titans

Next week: Manly have a bye in Round 9, which is timely given their current injury toll that now includes Jason Saab (pre-game, ankle) and Gordon Chan Kum Tong (failed HIA). Another huge task awaits the Panthers against the fourth-placed Broncos on Sunday at Magic Round. 

Full-time: A quality and pressure-relieving 26-10 victory for the Sea Eagles, with returning fullback Tom Trbojevic playing a key role with a try assist and some huge carries from the back field. Skipper Daly Cherry-Evans controlled the game well with his boot, while an 88 percent completion rate meant Manly were able to nullify much of what Penrith wanted to throw at them. Remarkably it means the Panthers sit dead last on the ladder heading into Round 9.   

71st min: An on-field decision of high contact from Tom Trbojevic on Casey McLean, inches from the try-line, is successfully challenged by the Sea Eagles. Manly avoid a set camped on their own line and instead have the ball. 

68th min: Some lovely on-ball trickery from Daly Cherry-Evans puts Tolutau Koula through a huge gap that ends in a try. Reuben Garrick can't convert, but Manly suddenly hold a commanding position in this game with 10 to go. 

67th min: Isaah Yeo goes on report for a dangerous tackle.

65th min: Haumole Olakau'atu climbs high to claim a Daly Cherry-Evans bomb and plants the ball down, marking Manly's first try since minute 18. Garrick converts and the gap is back to 12. 

62nd min: More drama at CommBank as Paul Alamoti runs Daly Cherry-Evans off the ball in a race for the footy that ends metres from the line. The Bunker rules out a penalty try, but Alamoti is off to the sin bin. Manly take the two on offer to stretch their lead back to six. 

59th min: Siosiua Taukeiaho ends up on report and in the bin for an illegal hit on Isaiah Papali'i. The Panthers are judged to have knocked the ball on in the ensuing set, but they successfully challenge the call (after it's found to have pinged off Moses Leota's head) and they retain possession. 

57th min: A promising move for Manly ends as Tolutau Koula fumbles 15 from the line. 

55th min: It initially looks as if Penrith have drawn even, but further review from the Bunker shows Luke Sommerton has been held up. As that happens, in the background the Sea Eagles lose Gordan Chan Kum Tong, with the hooker leaving the field for a HIA. 

53rd min: Back-to-back penalties against Manly, with Corey Waddell on report for a shoulder charge and Siosiua Taukeiaho following for a dangerous tackle. 

51 min: Consecutive sets camped in opposition territory eventually pays off for the Panthers, with Paul Alamoti popping a lovely offload back in field for Izack Tago to score. Nathan Cleary nails the conversion attempt from out wide this time and we are back to a four-point game. 

46th min: A huge kick from Nathan Cleary, which forces Lehi Hopoate to step into touch as he attempted to stop a 40/20, gifts Penrith with the possession which Blaize Talagi converts into a try. Cleary can't convert from out wide, so the gap remains 10. 

44th min: Brad Schneider returns to the game after passing his earlier HIA. 

Half-time: A very strong opening stanza from the Sea Eagles has them up by 14. They've completed all but two of their 28 sets and run for almost 300 metres more than their opponents. 

33rd min: Things are seriously unravelling for Penrith now, with Scott Sorensen put on report and binned for a shoulder charge on Nathan Brown. 

31st min: Isaiah Papali'i goes on report for an offence and gifts Manly with an easy two points, which Garrick gladly claims. The Sea Eagles now lead 14-0. 

30th min: Brad Schneider leaves the game for a HIA, which brings Luke Sommerton into the action. 

28th min: Casey McLean returns to the game having passed his HIA. 

27th min: The Sea Eagles successfully challenge an on-field call of a knock-on metres from their line and are back on the ball. 

20th min: Penrith fullback Dylan Edwards ends up on report for an alleged trip which happened as he tried to prevent Talau from scoring. 

19th min: Another classy right-side raid from Manly bears fruit, with Tom Trbojevic providing the final ball for Tommy Talau to score. Garrick converts for a 12-0 lead. The Sea Eagles have so far enjoyed 64 percent of the ball against the premiers.

14th min: Casey McLean leaves the field for a head injury assessment and is replaced by Mavrik Geyer. 

6th min: Reuben Garrick continues an unhappy couple of minutes for Casey McLean by exposing the Kiwi's inside shoulder to go over for the opener, which he also converts. 

5th min: Casey McLean goes on report for a dangerous tackle. 

1st min: The Sea Eagles get us underway with first use of the ball, as they look to avoid a fourth-straight defeat at CommBank Stadium. 

Late Mail

Panthers: A late change sees Brad Schneider replace Luke Sommerton as the run-on hooker, with triple premiership winner Mitch Kenny out suspended. Izack Tago returns to the centres in place of Luke Garner (concussion). Daine Laurie serves as the replacement player. 

Sea Eagles: No further moves from coach Anthony Seibold an hour from kick-off, following a flurry of changes on Friday night. That saw Jason Saab (ankle) and Josh Aloiai (shoulder) ruled out, with Tommy Talau moving from the bench to the wing and Ethan Bullemor replacing Aloiai in at prop. Gordon Chan Kum Tong and Caleb Navale are the new faces on the bench. 

Cowboys v Titans at Queensland Country Bank Stadium

Next week: The Cowboys are the away team to the Warriors at Magic Round and will feature in the middle game on Saturday, while the Titans take on a Bulldogs side who are coming off their first loss of the season on the Sunday at Suncorp Stadium. 

Full-time: A mesmerising second half from the Cowboys sees them overcome a 18-12 half-time deficit to claim a convincing 50-18 victory! PNG flyer Robert Derby claims three tries in the win and tops the yardage count with 217 metres. The Gold Coast end up with 47 missed tackles to their name during an ugly collapse. 

79th min: The game ends with a penalty try. Robert Derby gets a personal hat-trick after being impeded on his way to the line. He knocked on during the act of trying to ground the ball, but Bunker review says he would have scored without the foul in the lead up. Scott Drinkwater converts for 50. 

78th min: It's just not the Titans' day. Phillip Sami fumbles a would-be try over the line. 

78th min: A possible Titans try is called back for a forward pass, but there's a penalty prior to it that ensures the Gold Coast retain possession. 

72nd min: A classy shift featuring touches from Jake Clifford and Tom Dearden results in Scott Drinkwater sending Murray Taulagi over in the corner. The Samoan flyer replaces Drinkwater as the kicker on the ensuing conversion and bangs it in off the right post for a memorable first career goal. The Cowboys are a converted try away from 50 now. 

69th min: The numerical disadvantage is becoming too much for the Gold Coast now, as North Queensland strip them for numbers and a flying Robert Derby grabs his second for the night. Scott Drinkwater shanks the conversion from out wide, but still manages to get enough on it to add another two points. 

67th min: Reece Robson burns the Titans from dummy-half, selling them on a dummy before breaking an attempted tackle from opposite number Sam Verrills to drive over. Scott Drinkwater's conversion makes it a three-score lead for the Cowboys. 

64th min: The Titans bravely survive an onslaught from the Cowboys while camped on their own line. Des Hasler's men remain in the game and are back in possession. 

61st min: It goes from bad to worse for the Gold Coast as Brock Gray is placed on report and binned for high contact. The visitors have given themselves a huge hill to climb now if they are to claim victory. 

59th min: Jeremiah Nanai once again - the big back-rower is too powerful out wide and he hands the Cowboys a fourth-straight try. The hosts extend their lead even though Scott Drinkwater's conversion is wide. 

52nd min: There's no stopping Purdue this time! The lethal centre bursts through for his sixth try in as many games and for the first time today the home side are in front. It's 22-18 to the Cowboys. 

48th min: Purdue is dragged down just short of the line once again following another break, but seconds later Robert Derby is over for North Queensland's third, with Scott Drinkwater's conversion locking scores. 

41st min: A brilliant try-saver from Jaylan De Groot, who tracks down a flying Jaxon Purdue to deny the centre a try in the corner. 

Half-time: The Gold Coast lead 18-12 after 40 minutes, but will be down a man for the first nine minutes of the second period due to a sin-binning. 

39th min: A prolonged review from the Bunker finds high contact from Jaimin Jolliffe on John Bateman minutes earlier. It results in a sin-binning which leaves the contest as a 12 v 12 one at the break. 

36th min: A man down on the field, the Cowboys punish the Titans for an error coming out of yardage and strike back through prolific back-rower Jeremiah Nanai, who shakes out of an attempted tackle from Tom Weaver. Drinkwater adds the two and it's back to a one-score game. 

31st min: Tom Weaver takes the easy two points on offer for the penalty which followed the sin-binning and makes it a 12-point lead for the away side. 

31st min: The Cowboys get out of jail after the Titans get over what initially appeared to be their fourth try. But the Bunker finds an offside player who is involved in the play. It's not all good news for North Queensland though, with Jake Clifford being sent to the sin bin for a professional foul. Clifford denied a player a run through to the line in the lead up and will end the half in the bin. 

26th min: Having passed his head injury assessment, Murray Taulagi returns to the contest, coming on for Reuben Cotter. 

25th min: A try claim for the Cowboys is ruled out by the Bunker after Coen Hess leaps high and whacks the ball towards his teammates, only for it to be called a knock on. 

23rd min: North Queensland throw plenty at the Titans as they are camped on their line, but Des Hasler's men survive and go back on the attack with the ball. 

18th min: Another one! Three tries in the space of five minutes for the visitors. This time it's Beau Fermor, who grabs onto a pass from short range and goes over for his third try of the year. The Titans lead by 10. 

16th min: Brian Kelly races through on a Beau Fermor short ball. Despite a somewhat dodgy decision on the put down, the Titans are in front, with Weaver on target from the tee. 

13th min: Phil Sami climbs high to claim a Tom Weaver bomb before offloading to Jojo Fifita. From there Fifita steps back inside to score from close range and reduce the gap to two points. In the act of trying to stop the try, Murray Taulagi and Jaxon Purdue collide with each other, resulting in Taulagi requiring a HIA.

10th min: Both sides are struggling to complete early on, with five combined errors through the opening 10 minutes. 

8th min: A lovely interchange of passing between the two North Queensland halves sees Tom Dearden send Jake Clifford over for the opening try! Scott Drinkwater knocks over the ensuing conversion from next to the posts and it's 6-0 to the Cowboys. 

4th min: An early scare for the Titans after Jaylan De Groot spilled his first attempted kick of the day, but they survive. 

1st min: We're underway here in the opening game of Super Saturday, with the Cowboys enjoying first use of the football. 

The Titans have a rough record in Townsville, having tasted victory in just one of their past 13 games played there. They've also beaten the Cowboys only twice in their past six head-to-head clashes. 

Late Mail

Cowboys: No further changes an hour out from kick-off, after coach Todd Payten added Harrison Edwards to the interchange at the expense of Kai O'Donnell on Friday. John Bateman returns from the spider bite that left him hospitalised and forced him to miss the win over South Sydney in Perth. Jordan McLean will wear No.22 but start in the front row, with Karl Lawton the replacement player. 

Titans: David Fifita is good to go after initial fears that he'd suffered a multi-week hamstring injury ahead of Round 7. Alofiana Khan-Pereira is also back from a hamstring injury, while Brock Gray returns from suspension. Tony Francis is the replacement player.