Live Blog: Panthers weather storm then strike twice

47 min: Jack Cogger's kick comes down just short of the goal line and Casey McLean is there again to fly high but he knocks on in the contest.

44 min: The Warriors get a couple of six-again calls and mount plenty of pressure but the Panthers hold firm and Te Maire Martin is denied by three defenders on the last tackle. 

42 min: Luke Garner is penalised and placed on report for high contact on Taine Tuaupiki.

Blue beauty: Four days after a composed Origin debut for the Blues, Casey McLean came up with a first-half double to go with 92 run metres and two tackle breaks. The gifted 20-year-old now has 25 tries in 41 career games.

Half-time: The Panthers have only trailed at half-time once all season - against the Bulldogs in Round 6 - and they head to the sheds in front once again after a cracking first half between the top two sides. The Panthers completed 19 of 21 sets at 90 per cent and were ruthless when they got opportunities inside the red zone. 

38 min: Slick ball movement to the right through Jack Cogger and Dylan Edwards before Izack Tago's catch-and-pass is perfect for Paul Alamoti to fly into the corner for the Panthers' third try. Alamoti produces a pinpoint conversion from the touchline. Panthers 16-6

37 min: The Warriors lose their captain's challenge after unsuccessfully challenging a Dallin Watene-Zelezniak knock-on call.

36 min: Freddy Lussick is placed on report for a hair pull on Dallin Watene-Zelezniak in an earlier set.

35 min: Dylan Edwards comes up with another safe catch and earns a penalty is Leka Halasima is pinged for a crusher.

30 min: Casey McLean makes it a double as he gets the better of Dallin Watene-Zelezniak in a contest for the high ball and that's a fourth career double for the Panthers young gun. Paul Alamoti converts. Panthers 10-6

29 min: Wayde Egan darts out of dummy half from close range and tries to pick up Tanner Stowers-Smith but the bench forward can't handle.

26 min: The Warriors are denied again as Chanel Harris-Tavita offloads for Adam Pompey to dive over but the pass is ruled forward.

22 min: The Warriors look to have come up with a spectacular try when Dallin Watene-Zelezniak makes an acrobatic bomb catch and flicks a miracle offload to Ali Leiataua who dives over but Leiataua was ruled to have been in front of the kicker in a very tight call.

20 min: Another high ball from the Warriors but this time Panthers captain Dylan Edwards stands tall.

17 min: Chanel Harris-Tavita goes cross field with a pinpoint kick and Jacob Laban comes up with a superb catch in a one-on-one contest with Casey McLean and dives over for the Warriors' first try. Adam Pompey adds the extras. Warriors 6-4

15 min: Thomas Jenkins climbs high to try and take a bomb but comes up with a dropped ball to hand the Warriors a golden opportunity to hit back.

13 min: Te Maire Martin elects to run the ball on the last but the Panthers hold firm in defence and work the ball up to the 40m line on their next set.

12 min: A penalty against Lindsay Smith for a dangerous tackle on Jackson Ford invites the Warriors into the red zone.

11 min: The Panthers go to the right but come up with a knock-on as Dylan Edwards tries to shift the ball on quickly to Izack Tago but it travels forward.

9 min: Jack Cogger goes to the air, Dallin Watene-Zelezniak makes a safe catch but the Warriors start the set just 10 metres out from their line as the Panthers slip into their rhythm early.

6 min: Casey McLean makes a sensational start backing up from Origin as he slices through for the opening try. Referee Gerard Sutton sends it up as 'no try' with the view that Isaiah Papali'i had obstructed a defender but the bunker rules Ali Leiataua made a poor defensive read to jam in. Paul Alamoti fails to convert. Panthers 4-0

4 min: The Panthers go on the attack after the Warriors are pinged for tackling a player without the ball.

Late Mail

Panthers: Origin debutant Casey McLean will line up in the centres after coming into the starting side in Sunday's 90-minute update. Luke Garner shifts back to the bench as a result. Coach Ivan Cleary has chosen to rest Origin reps Nathan Cleary, Isaah Yeo and Brian To'o. Star back-rower Liam Martin returns from a knee injury with Izack Tago named in the centres. Jack Cogger will play halfback and Lindsay Smith lines up at lock.

Warriors: No further changes in Sunday's final team update, with Luke Hanson to come off the six-man bench in jumper No.20. The loss of Roger Tuivasa-Sheck to a season-ending ACL injury brings Adam Pompey into the centres. Marata Niukore has been added to the bench in place of Eddie Ieremia-Toeava (concussion). Origin reps Mitch Barnett and Kurt Capewell are both being rested. "They are both willing [to play] but we thought it was best for them individually not to back up," coach Andrew Webster said. 

Raiders v Cowboys at GIO Stadium

Press Conferences

Full-time: Canberra have beaten the Cowboys for the first time in six years and it's a crucial victory for their top-eight chances. It's the Raiders' fifth win of the season as they look to surge up the ladder through the middle third of the year. Seb Kris scored a double, while the hosts clinically closed out the contest in the second half. Raiders 26 - Cowboys 12

80th minute: Canberra have now lodged a Captain's Challenge in the final minute after Owen Pattie was ruled to have knocked on a Reed Mahoney grubber. It's a successful challenge but North Queensland will still come away with the ball. Hudson Young picked up the loose ball in an offside position after it touched Pattie and the Cowboys receive a penalty. Raiders 26 - Cowboys 12.

76th minute: The pause gave North Queensland time to come up with a set play, Jason Taumalolo drawing in the Canberra defenders before hitting Heilum Luki for the try. Raiders 26 - Cowboys 12. 

75th minute: We've got a stoppage with the Cowboys on the attack after Seb Kris was left on the ground in back play. The Raiders centre collided with teammate Zac Hosking's hip while making a tackle and will leave the field for an HIA. Raiders 26 - Cowboys 6. 

74th minute: Another Captain's Challenge by the Cowboys after they were penalised for a strip. Morgan Smithies simply lost the ball in the tackle and it's a second successful challenge for North Queensland. The Cowboys have an attacking scrum 40 metres out from the try line. Raiders 26 - Cowboys 6.

68th minute: North Queensland have had a couple of attacking sets on the back of the successful Captain's Challenge, but the Raiders defence was up to the task. Raiders 26 - Cowboys 6.

65th minute: A Cowboys Captain's Challenge now after Matt Lodge was ruled to have made an error while attempting to play the ball. Daine Laurie was in the ruck as he played the ball and has been penalised for interference. It's a successful challenge. Raiders 26 - Cowboys 6.

62nd minute: North Queensland have spent the past few minutes valiantly defending their line, but the Raiders eventually wore them down. With the Cowboys on the back foot, Canberra attacked to the right and Ethan Sanders produced a superb cutout pass for Xavier Savage to dive over in the corner. Raiders 26 - Cowboys 6. 

58th minute: Scott Drinkwater has prevented a Canberra try by racing through to knock down an Ethan Strange pass, however the Raiders will have a fresh attacking set of six. We also have an update on Tom Mikaele, who suffered a knee injury and is unlikely to return to the field. Raiders 22 - Cowboys 6. 

52nd minute: The referee has sent a potential Cowboys try upstairs to the Bunker. Zac Laybutt dived to reel in a cut-out pass and attempted to throw it back inside before he fell into touch. The winger managed to flick the ball infield, but it travelled forward and the Raiders hold strong. Concerning news for the Cowboys, with Tom Mikaele leaving the field with an apparent leg injury. Raiders 22 - Cowboys 6. 

50th minute: North Queensland have a chance to hit back after they earnt a repeat set of six. Down 16 with 30 minutes to play, the Cowboys need to start eating their way into this deficit. Raiders 22 - Cowboys 6.

45th minute: It's the perfect start for the Raiders, who have a try seemingly out of nowhere. The hosts attacked down the shortside, threw a couple of offloads before Tom Starling danced around looking for a hole. The hooker broke a couple of tackles before passing to Seb Kris, who got on the outside of Jaxon Purdue and burst through to score the first points of the second half. Raiders 22 - Cowboys 6. 

Kick-off: Jake Clifford has kicked us off and we're back for the second half. Canberra largely controlled the first half and made plenty of metres both through the middle and out wide. North Queensland will be looking to tighten up defensively as they attempt to mount a second-half comeback. Raiders 18 - Cowboys 6. 

Half-time: That was an eventful half of football, with Canberra jumping out to an early lead before North Queensland slowly worked their way back into the contest. The margin was eight before Ethan Strange scored on the stroke of half-time to give his side some breathing room going into the break. Raiders 18 - Cowboys 6.

39th minute: The Raiders were denied a few minutes ago, but there was no stopping Ethan Strange this time. The hosts attacked down a narrow short side on the last tackle, Hudson Young linking up with Strange, who spun out of a tackle and slammed the ball down. Raiders 18 - Cowboys 6.

37th minute: GIO Stadium used to have an athletics track around the field and we've just had an old-fashioned foot race. A North Queensland error was scooped up by Seb Kris, who linked up with Xavier Savage and the Raiders winger was sprinting down the left sideline. Jaxon Purdue was in hot pursuit and slowly reeled in Savage before making the try-saving tackle. Raiders 14 - Cowboys 6.

26th minute: The end-to-end action continues. Canberra rolled down into the attacking red-zone before a tackle by Murray Taulagi forced an error. North Queensland then worked their way into attacking territory, Liam Sutton threw a dummy, sliced threw and reached out to score his team's first try. Raiders 14 - Cowboys 6. 

24th minute: The Cowboys used the turnover to roll down the field and they came close to scoring on successive tackles, first Tom Mikaele was stopped centimetres short before Reed Mahoney was held up. A Mahoney grubber then rolled dead and the Raiders have a seven-tackle set. Raiders 14 - Cowboys 0. 

22nd minute: North Queensland finally catch a break after a short line dropout bounced awkwardly and was ultimately knocked on by Savelio Tamale. The Cowboys receive the ball and avoid another defensive set. Raiders 14 - Cowboys 0.

18th minute: Make that three tries in three sets for the Raiders after Daine Laurie burst straight through the middle of the Cowboys defence. Playing lock today, Laurie threw a dummy and broke through before drawing the fullback and sending Tom Starling over for the try. Raiders 14 - Cowboys 0.

15th minute: The Raiders have gone bang-bang and scored two tries in two sets. Ricky Stuart's men threw the ball around to expose the Cowboys out wide before eventually reaching the red zone on the last tackle. Hudson Young ran down the short side, passed to Savelio Tamale, who grubbered back in field. The ball took a deflection straight into the hands of Kaeo Weekes for Canberra's second try of the afternoon. Raiders 8 - Cowboys 0.

13th minute: The Raiders have capitalised on the field position and have the first points of the game. Halves Ethan Sanders and Ethan Strange linked up, Strange slid straight through and Seb Kris scores the try. Raiders 4 - Cowboys 0.

12th minute: We have another trip to the Bunker after the Raiders rolled down the field on the back of a Kaeo Weekes kick return. Tom Starling put a grubber into the in-goal, Hudson Young chased through but was unable to get to the ball. Zac Laybutt was eventually tackled in the in-goal and it will be a line dropout. Raiders 0 - Cowboys 0.

2nd minute: It appears to be a dream start for the hosts but the Bunker has stepped in to deny Matt Timoko after Ethan Sanders put up a well-placed bomb to the left corner. Zac Laybutt was unable to take the catch in a collision with Savelio Tamale, Timoko was on the spot to gather the loose ball and he strolled over for the first points of the afternoon. The Bunker has ruled Tamale interfered with Laybutt and awarded North Queensland a penalty. Raiders - Cowboys 0. 

Kick-off: We are underway in the nation's capital, with the Raiders looking to reverse a poor run of form on their home turf this season. Canberra have won just one from five at GIO Stadium and their clash with North Queensland shapes as crucial to their finals chances. The Cowboys are riding high after wins over the Roosters and Rabbitohs and eager to climb back into the top eight with a victory this afternoon. Raiders 0 - Cowboys 0. 

Late Mail

Raiders: No late changes on game day. Origin debutant Ethan Strange and back-rower Hudson Young are on track to back up from Game One with coach Ricky Stuart reporting that the pair had a light run on Saturday and pulled up well. "I can see it in the boys that they are excited to back up for their teammates," Stuart said. Centre Seb Kris is back on deck after missing the Dolphins game with a quad injury suffered in the warm-up. Jayden Brailey has been ruled out with a concussion so Daine Laurie has been named to start at lock. Young giant Jordan Uta retains his place on the bench after making his debut last week. No changes in Saturday's 24-hour update.

Cowboys: One late change to the line up on game day with youngster Xavier Kerris moving onto the six-player bench in place of Viliame Vailea who played in Queensland Cup for Townsville Blackhawks yesterday. Coach Todd Payten has decided to rest skipper Reuben Cotter after he played 56 minutes in Origin One for the Maroons on Wednesday night. Matt Lodge comes into the starting side at lock and Wiremu Greig has been added to the six-man bench. Winger Murray Taulagi plays his first game since Round 8 after a concussion lay-off so Robert Derby moves to the interchange. 

Broncos v Dragons at Suncorp Stadium

Press conferences

Full-time: The Dragons hold on for a 30-26 win. It was their first win since Round 23 last year against the Sharks. They did it the hard way, just holding on in the end, but they set it up with an enthusiastic start.

79th min: Another try to the Broncos to narrow the margin with Arthars getting his second try. Reynolds quickly sets up and slots it from the sideline. It's 30-26 with 16 seconds left to play.

74th min: The comeback is on. Xavier Willison has too much space and pace and goes over in the right side of the field, running onto a good ball from Ben Hunt at the line. Reynolds is successful again and it's 30-20.  

Injury update - Clint Gutherson comes off with a calf injury.

69th min: The Broncos finally have their first second-half try, out to their left with Josiah Karapani going over after some sustained pressure on the Dragons line. Reynolds hits the posts but the ball bounces its way over for a successful conversion. Dragons lead 30-14. 

Injury update - Pat Carrigan - who returned to the field after an earlier ankle - is off again and ruled out with that ailment. 

Crowd: 42,275

61st min: Another fortunate try to the Dragons with Setu Tu over in the right corner. Another kick the Broncos can't bring down cleanly, with the referee ruling six again after Walsh is deemed to have lost it forward in a messy contest. Holmes can't convert this time and it's 30-8.

59th min: Luck going the way of the Dragons in a crazy try! Adam Reynolds pass goes in front of his player and Val Holmes puts his hand out to intercept but then drops it onto his foot and makes a successful effort to kick and it launches ahead where he chases through and goes over to score. He converts his own try for a 26-8 lead. 

56th min: The Dragons hit back with some hot potato football attacking the Brisbane line, with Mat Feagai finishing off the play, scoring out of the left side. Atkinson kicks the ball and Hamish Stewart goes up and controls the ball enough to catch and pass it back to his supporting players, going to to Gutherson who puts in a basketball pass to his winger to score. Holmes converts again and it's 20-8.

51st min: Well and truly against the run of play, Jesse Arthars takes an intercept off Clint Gutherson and runs 90 metres to score. Reynolds converts and the scores narrow to 14-8. 

Additional injury update - Ezra Mam is off the field with a suspect ankle issue. Update - he is back after suffering a knock to his ankle. 

Injury update - Broncos forward Pat Carrigan came off the field in the 33rd minute with an ankle injury. He is on the bike currently keeping warm with Broncos staff hopeful he can return to the field during this game.

Half-time: Dragons go into the sheds with a 14-2 lead at the break. The visitors started the half with intent and carried that into the rest of the half, surprising the Broncos and their home fans, up 12-0 after only 10 minutes. 

40th min: Right on half-time, Adam Reynolds has potted over a penalty goal with Moses Suli penalised for putting his arm out and interfering with Reece Walsh who was chasing a kick. A minor blight on a strong half for the visiting Dragons. 

29th min: Josiah Karapani goes up for an Ezra Mam kick and loses the ball trying to get it down over the line. However, he cops a high tackle from Clint Gutherson in the lead-up, to the Broncos get another chance. 

22nd min: The Dragons edge in front with a Holmes penalty goal. Broncos forward Brendan Piakura is pinged for a hit on kicker Atkinson that started a bit of a push and shove with Setu Tu who did not like seeing the tackle. Dragons lead 14-0. 

18th min: Captain's challenge from the Broncos on a knock on ruling on Cory Paix. However, the Bunker finds otherwise and the home side keep possession. 

10th min: Dragons are in again! This time it's Dan Atkinson grubbering ahead to himself and running through the line to touch the ball down. Broncos fullback Reece Walsh was in-field having earlier made a tackle and was making his way back to his position. The Dragons have been able to attack their line thanks to multiple errors from the home side. Holmes converts and it's 12-0. 

6th min: First points for the Dragons! Valentine Holmes gets the scoring started for the Dragons, with a big swan dive over the line, taking an offload from Hamish Stewart with the Broncos kept in two minds in defence of their line. Started with a big play from Dylan Egan who stripped the ball from Pat Carrigan to get the ball back for his team. He converts his own try for a 6-0 lead. 

Kick off: Dragons have first use of the ball on a sunny Sunday for footy at Suncorp Stadium.

Late Mail

Broncos: No late changes on game day, with Jaiyden Hunt dropping from the extended reserves. A huge boost for the premiers with prop Payne Haas (knee) set to play his first game since Round 7 while back-rower Brendan Piakura (knee) has also been named. "I'm 100 per cent, I trained fully the other day and I'm excited to play with the boys," Haas said on Thursday. Coach Michael Maguire has confirmed that Kotoni Staggs and Pat Carrigan will back up from Origin while Queensland's unused reserves Ezra Mam and Gehamat Shibasaki are also on deck for the Broncos. 

Dragons: No late changes on game day, with Tyler Peckham-Harris dropping from the extended reserves. Jacob Liddle's return from a hamstring injury has been put on hold for another week. Liddle dropped off the bench on Saturday with Tyrell Sloan coming in. Centre Moses Suli returns from a back injury but Hayden Buchanan (shoulder), Jaydn Su'A (calf) and Christian Tuipulotu (hamstring) are out. Hooker Damien Cook has been named to play despite coming off early against the Warriors with an ankle issue.