Latest news with #ScottDrinkwater
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Cowboys thrash Knights to pile more pressure on O'Brien
North Queensland fullback Scott Drinkwater turned on a masterclass to sink Newcastle 38-4 and leave Knights coach Adam O'Brien under further pressure. The 16th-placed Knights, after their sixth loss in a row, have the worst attack in the NRL. For the 11th time this season they were kept scoreless in the first half as the hosts took a 20-0 lead into the break in Townsville on Sunday. It is the equal worst record in the State of Origin era, since 1980, in the "zero points in the first half" statistic, along with the 2014 Wests Tigers - and they still have three rounds to go. Drinkwater has a double! 🥧Telstra Moment of the Match — NRL (@NRL) August 17, 2025 The Knights are just two points clear of Gold Coast and could still finish with the wooden spoon. O'Brien is contracted until the end of 2027. The Knights have been without injured playmakers Kalyn Ponga and Fletcher Sharpe, but their impotent attack has been an issue all year. The Cowboys, now in 13th spot, look so much better when middle forward powerhouses Jason Taumalolo and Jordan McLean are on the field at the same time. Injury has limited their liaisons this year, but they gave their side a flying start on Sunday. Drinkwater has been his side's most creative force this year. He entered the match with the equal most try assists (20) and soon went to work to add two more to that tally. He finished the match with 22 points courtesy of two tries and seven goals. The 28-year-old whiz started and finished the opening try with nice ball play by Viliami Vailea. Drinkwater showed immense commitment in defence and dislodged the ball with a desperate effort as Knights prop Jacob Saifiti was about to score under the sticks. Cowboys rake Reece Robson spent 10 minutes in the sin bin for a professional foul, but the Knights attack was clueless. They were made to pay when Cowboys co-captain Tom Dearden swooped on a Knights error when they failed to defuse a bomb, as they had for most of the half. Winger Braidon Burns snared an intercept for an 85m try. A proud Gamilaroi man, the 29-year-old had a blinder in Indigenous round. The Knights did not improve after the break. Drinkwater sent centre Jaxon Purdue on one of his graceful gallops to score in the 47th minute. Knights winger Dominic Young grabbed a Jake Arthur bomb to get his side on the board, but Drinkwater grubbered to perfection for second-rower Jeremiah Nanai to score. Drinkwater then backed up Dearden to add his second try. Newcastle's 19-year-old debutant Connor Votano had a baptism of fire under the high ball with two early errors, but his teammates did not give him the support required. Votano could have scored two tries, but was unable to latch on to passes that went above his head.
The Australian
12-08-2025
- Sport
- The Australian
NRL Round 24 SuperCoach trades: Walker emerges as Drinkwater replacement
There are four rounds to go which means many overall players are down to their last trades (or like me have none!), but for the head-to-head studs this is their time to shine. I'm a bit under the weather and so as a treat to you and me both I'll be keeping the Buy/Sell analysis brief and instead put the work into the Q&A (as always, hit me up via the comments section at the bottom of the article and we can talk trades, team line-ups, captaincy options (and for Dave I can deny his plea to make the bye team visible on SC landing page). NRL Round 24: Teams and SC Q&A. Scott Drinkwater: Has fallen away of late. Reportedly dealing with a groin injury, has lost the goalkicking and the Cowboys attack spluttering. The Cows have a round 27 bye too so if you have the trade spare I'd be selling. If you don't (like me) then you'll have to hope that a home match against the Knights then away against the Tigers can see some half decent scores over the next fortnight. I'm not so sure, and if injuries/suspensions elsewhere in my squad allow I'm tempted to make Drinky a NPR. SELL. Cameron Munster: With no Jahrome Hughes to overcall him it's the Cam Munster show at the Storm for the remainder of the regular season. Scored 92 against the Broncos last week - though that was a Brisbane outfit with three of their key backline players riding the pine after tearing their hamstrings. The Panthers then Bulldogs over the next fortnight will prove a stiffer test of Munster's worth. Still a BUY, but I'm expecting scores in the 60-70 range against those two teams not 80+. Harry Grant: Taking a more dominant role in attack with Hughes out is a win, though it does mean less tackless Melbourne look to hide Grant a little on the defensive side when they know they need more from him in attack. As per Munster above, I expect the next fortnight to be tougher scoring for the Storm spine - but still have Grant as a BUY. Sam Walker: Looking to ditch Drinky and have a spot at flex to fill? Sam Walker could be your guy. After returns of 50 and 66 in his first fortnight back following his 2024 ACL injury, Walker has punched out scores of 80 (Storm), 93 (Manly) and 119 (Dolphins). The little maestro is calling all the shots at the Roosters and while the remaining draw is mixed (Dogs, Eels, Storm, Souths) he's shown he can score against anyone. BUY. Beau Fermor: Last week I suggested that Fermor may be the safest CTW option around for those looking for a Herbie Farnworth replacement and he duly delivered 78 points (50 in base, plus a try/LB). The Gold Coast have arguably the most productive draw remaining for any team (Sharks/Warriors/Dolphins/Tigers) and it would not shock if Fermor manages to score in at least two of those match-ups. BUY. Mark Nawaqanitawase: After a very quiet four weeks Marky Mark bounced back with a hat-trick against the Dolphins last round. The Dogs this week, and Storm in round 26 are not games I'd expect him to go large in. But the Eels in round 25 and Souths in round 27 look juicy. A BUY, but the guy above (safer) and below (due) are preferred. Brian To'o: Is Bizza back? Seemingly banged up and carrying leg niggles all season, To'o made 17 runs and busted nine tackles (and three linebreaks plus a try) as a ruthless Panthers dominated the Knights. The Storm this week will be tougher. The Raiders then Dogs the fortnight after no easier. But no team is hotter than the Panthers at the moment. And if To'o is fit and healthy then he's a steal at $517K. Under 12% ownership makes him a useful H2H POD too. BUY. That's it, I've run out of steam, hit me up via the comments and we can chat. Rob Sutherland Sports Journalist and Digital Producer Rob Sutherland has never won SuperCoach NRL but he always has an opinion on how you might. Renowned as much for his deep collection of Hawaiian shirts as he is for his depth of statistical SuperCoach analysis, our podcast regular is here to fix your team - and hopefully keep you entertained along the way. @rob_sutherland3 Rob Sutherland
News.com.au
12-08-2025
- Sport
- News.com.au
NRL Round 24 teams and SuperCoach Q&A: Will you be ditching Drinkwater?
There are four rounds to go which means many overall players are down to their last trades (or like me have none!), but for the head-to-head studs this is their time to shine. I'm a bit under the weather and so as a treat to you and me both I'll be keeping the Buy/Sell analysis brief and instead put the work into the Q&A (as always, hit me up via the comments section at the bottom of the article and we can talk trades, team line-ups, captaincy options (and for Dave I can deny his plea to make the bye team visible on SC landing page). Scott Drinkwater: Has fallen away of late. Reportedly dealing with a groin injury, has lost the goalkicking and the Cowboys attack spluttering. The Cows have a round 27 bye too so if you have the trade spare I'd be selling. If you don't (like me) then you'll have to hope that a home match against the Knights then away against the Tigers can see some half decent scores over the next fortnight. I'm not so sure, and if injuries/suspensions elsewhere in my squad allow I'm tempted to make Drinky a NPR. SELL. Cameron Munster: With no Jahrome Hughes to overcall him it's the Cam Munster show at the Storm for the remainder of the regular season. Scored 92 against the Broncos last week - though that was a Brisbane outfit with three of their key backline players riding the pine after tearing their hamstrings. The Panthers then Bulldogs over the next fortnight will prove a stiffer test of Munster's worth. Still a BUY, but I'm expecting scores in the 60-70 range against those two teams not 80+. Harry Grant: Taking a more dominant role in attack with Hughes out is a win, though it does mean less tackless Melbourne look to hide Grant a little on the defensive side when they know they need more from him in attack. As per Munster above, I expect the next fortnight to be tougher scoring for the Storm spine - but still have Grant as a BUY. Sam Walker: Looking to ditch Drinky and have a spot at flex to fill? Sam Walker could be your guy. After returns of 50 and 66 in his first fortnight back following his 2024 ACL injury, Walker has punched out scores of 80 (Storm), 93 (Manly) and 119 (Dolphins). The little maestro is calling all the shots at the Roosters and while the remaining draw is mixed (Dogs, Eels, Storm, Souths) he's shown he can score against anyone. BUY. Beau Fermor: Last week I suggested that Fermor may be the safest CTW option around for those looking for a Herbie Farnworth replacement and he duly delivered 78 points (50 in base, plus a try/LB). The Gold Coast have arguably the most productive draw remaining for any team (Sharks/Warriors/Dolphins/Tigers) and it would not shock if Fermor manages to score in at least two of those match-ups. BUY. Mark Nawaqanitawase: After a very quiet four weeks Marky Mark bounced back with a hat-trick against the Dolphins last round. The Dogs this week, and Storm in round 26 are not games I'd expect him to go large in. But the Eels in round 25 and Souths in round 27 look juicy. A BUY, but the guy above (safer) and below (due) are preferred. Brian To'o: Is Bizza back? Seemingly banged up and carrying leg niggles all season, To'o made 17 runs and busted nine tackles (and three linebreaks plus a try) as a ruthless Panthers dominated the Knights. The Storm this week will be tougher. The Raiders then Dogs the fortnight after no easier. But no team is hotter than the Panthers at the moment. And if To'o is fit and healthy then he's a steal at $517K. Under 12% ownership makes him a useful H2H POD too. BUY. That's it, I've run out of steam, hit me up via the comments and we can chat.
Daily Telegraph
29-06-2025
- Sport
- Daily Telegraph
Gold Coast Titans go from bad to worse as Scott Drinkwater fires Cowboys
The Titans have endured a coastal capitulation at the hands of a Scott Drinkwater-inspired Cowboys to heap more misery on a Gold Coast team languishing at the bottom of the ladder. Gold Coast unraveled in front of 13,882 spectators in wet conditions at Cbus Super Stadium on Sunday to go down 30-24 and lose even more ground on the top eight that now sits three wins outside its reach. The win alleviates some of the pressure on Cowboys coach Todd Payten and while North Queensland remain 12th on the ladder, the club is only one point from eighth-placed Dolphins. The Cowboys shot out to an early 12-0 lead in the first half before a knock-on from Reece Robson opened the door for the Titans to score as North Queensland struggled to retain possession. Todd Payten's side came out firing in the second to regain control but instead of putting the game away they let the Titans get within six points before sneaking away with the win. DRINKWATER THE DIFFERENCE Scott Drinkwater was the difference between the two sides. The fullback scored twice, had his hand in another with a delicate kick and made two line breaks in a huge display. On an afternoon where skills were at a premium and execution was a rarity, Drinkwater was a calm head under pressure and composed with ball in hand. He took the high balls without fault and his ability to pop up at the right moment proved to be game-deciding. SCRUM SCRAMBLE The NRL needs to step in to stop teams conceding penalties from scrums in order to set its defensive line. It is an absolute blight on the game and every team is at fault. Sides are intentionally getting penalised when just outside their own tryline in order to increase its numbers on the line and increase their recovery time. Sin bins should be brought in to send a message to sides attempting to rort the system. WEAVER GROWING INTO HIS ROLE Tom Weaver has shown enormous improvement and should be knocking on the door for a regular starting role in the near future. The Titans playmaker has put on size and showed maturity with his decision making, provided a strong kicking game and was a threat when running the ball. Kieran Foran didn't actually take many kicks for the entire game, handing over the kicking duties to Weaver on the fifth tackle. Jayden Campbell will be available when the Titans return after the bye to play the Broncos but Weaver has shown he is a genuine star of the future at NRL level.
Yahoo
29-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Cowboys win turns up heat on embattled Hasler
Des Hasler's storied NRL coaching career is hanging by a thread after his Gold Coast side were beaten by North Queensland 30-24 on a wet and miserable afternoon at the Titans' Cbus Super Stadium. The loss was the 11th of the season for Hasler's men, and with just four wins to their name the Gold Coast are anchored firmly to the bottom of the NRL ladder and the heat on Hasler has risen a notch or three. Hasler has coached 497 NRL games but whether he reaches 500 is surely now in question. A two-time premiership winning coach at Manly, Hasler now owns a 12-27 record in one-and-a-half seasons on the Gold Coast. The Titans have a bye next week, the ideal time for the club to make a move if it's determined Hasler's time is up. Dearden combines with Drinkwater! 🤠#NRLTitansCowboys Telstra Moment of the Match — NRL (@NRL) June 29, 2025 Sunday's game was a match-up between the NRL's two worst defensive teams, both with a coach under pressure and desperate to turn their fortunes around. And while the victory kept the Cowboys' stuttering season alive, it was hardly a performance to strike fear into the competition's leading teams. Along with their known defensive frailties, both sides were spluttering in attack and made a host of errors in the greasy conditions. Zac Laybutt got the scoreboard ticking for the Cowboys after a slashing Scott Drinkwater break just seven minutes into the first half, before Murray Taulagi crossed in the 17th to give the visitors a 12-0 lead. Beau Fermor pulled one back for the Titans 11 minutes later and at halftime it was 12-6. It was a scrappy first 40 minutes with the teams combining for 13 errors and averaging less than 33 metres gained per set. Tom Dearden burst through a tackle to set up Drinkwater five minutes into the second half and the Cowboys had another via Jeremiah Nanai off a kick four minutes later. Gold Coast's Brian Kelly put in a tricky banana kick for AJ Brimson to score after 54 minutes and when Jojo Fifita touched down 10 minutes later the Titans looked well and truly in the match. But a peach of a pass from Reece Robson sent Drinkwater over with eight minutes left on the clock to put paid to the Titans' comeback. Phillip Sami scored for Gold Coast with four minutes remaining, but time was not on their side. North Queensland's Origin incumbents Robson, Reuben Cotter, Dearden and Nanai appeared to come through the match unscathed. Titans duo Tino Fa'asuamaleaui and Moeaki Fotuaika should be available for Queensland in Origin III on July 9. The Cowboys' Maroons hopeful, Taulagi, looked to injure his knee midway through the second half but played on.
