Penrith Panthers win the NRL minor premiership AGAIN after hammering sorry North Queensland, with the Cowboys’ season coming to a disappointing end

Penrith completed the minor NRL premiership, ending North Queensland’s season with Jack Cogger impressing No. 6 in a 44-12 win over the Cowboys.

In his first audition for the five-eighth jersey since Jarome Luai’s shoulder injury, Cogger threw the final pass for three tries against a despondent and sloppy North Queensland team.

The result determines the composition of this year’s top eight, with the Sydney Roosters and Canberra now both locked in for the final.

It also downplays Sunday’s game between Cronulla and the Raiders as a battle for the rights of an elimination final in week one, with both sure to make the top eight.

Penrith will now face the fourth-placed Warriors in one qualifying final at BlueBet Stadium, while Brisbane will host third place in Melbourne in the other.

Nathan Cleary (right) celebrates with Izack Tago (left) after the whistle

Needing a win to steal the minor premiership from the Broncos and claim the JJ Giltinan Shield for the third time in four years, the Panthers looked barely challenged.

North Queensland spilled the ball twice on attack in the first fifteen minutes as Penrith made the most of virtually every half chance they got in a 26-0 first half.

Most gratifying for the Panthers will be Cogger’s performance.

Star five-eighth Luai returned to practice on Saturday and was able to run and pass, but is still not expected back until the preliminary finals.

In his place, Cogger was the star of the first half for the Panthers, as he had a hand on each of the three first tries.

The 26-year-old topped Stephen Crichton in the fourth minute with a long ball after a bust from Sunia Turuva, before another long ball helped Turuva cross 18 minutes later.

The five-eighth then played a part in Penrith’s third as he went to the line and put Liam Martin through a gap to score.

Rookie hooker Luke Somerton, Nathan Cleary also grabbed tries, while Brian To’o and Turuva finished with a double play as the Panthers ran away with the game going into the second half.

The win guarantees Penrith a $200,000 paycheck to be split between players and club, and a preference for locker rooms, jerseys and practice times at venues during the Finals.

It means the Cowboys’ season is over after a disappointing campaign

Most importantly, the Panthers are now poised for a shot at the first three-peat in 40 years, with an almost fully fit squad and hooker Mitch Kenny and second rower Scott Sorensen set to return next week due to injuries.

For North Queensland, this was a meek surrender that summed up their season.

After reaching the Preliminary Final last year, they spent much of the season chasing their tails after a poor 2-5 start.

And while they hit it off midway through the year, it was their most disappointing performance since the Wests Tigers thrashing by 48 points in May.

Griffin Neame and Zac Laybutt both came for each other in the opening ten minutes of the second half, but in the end there was too much to do to save their season.