Todd Payten was of the belief the “scoreline should have been worse” after his side were resoundingly beaten 32-12 by the Sharks.
The Cowboys trailed 26-0 at halftime and in that period gave away five penalties, two set restarts and missed 23 tackles to Cronulla’s four while completing at only 43 per cent.
While Craig Fitzgibbon’s side have boosted their finals chances, North Queensland simply need to earn the right to wins games according to a frustrated Payten.
FOX LEAGUE, available on Kayo Sports, is the only place to watch every game of every round in the 2025 NRL Telstra Premiership, LIVE with no ad-breaks during play. New to Kayo? Get your first month for just $1. Limited-time offer >
WHAT’S GAMBLING REALLY COSTING YOU? Set a deposit limit. For Free and confidential support call 1800 858 858 or visit gamblinghelponline.org.au.
The Cowboys coach was asked whether a second half bounce back eased the pain, but Payten wasn’t buying it.
“A little bit, not a great deal,” he said.
“35 per cent possession for most of that first half, and similar story for most of year. Taking ourselves out of the contest with either yardage penalties or errors.
“Stuck together, stayed at it. Fought hard but in the end you give that type of possession away, you will be on the back foot.”
Payten also pointed to the amount of injuries the Cowboys have been battling with, revealing five first graders will return in Round 23.
Regardless, the embattled coach laid out the blueprint for North Queensland for the remainder of the season, despite their finals chances growing smaller with each loss.
“I don’t think it rattled him!” | 04:06
MORE NRL NEWS
‘CAN’T KEEP UP’: Benji fumes at ref double standards amid Crichton tackle
‘NO, PLEASE’: Ciraldo defends Crichton over high shot as Dogs sweats on MRC
BOILOVER: Luai leads epic revenge win over Galvin as Bulldogs sweat on skipper
“Just build the game, play the game the right way. That’s (getting) through your sets, being disciplined, making the opposition earn it,” he said.
“We have not done that well enough at all for most of the year… we’re beating ourselves, that’s the simplest way I can put it.
“Not a lot of times this year we have been outplayed. We have shot ourselves in the foot too often, and that’s highly frustrating.
“To be fair with the weight of possession there and a sin binning in the second half, the score line should have been worse.”
