Moment Andrew Abdo leaves Dylan Edwards confused in hilarious scenes as NRL boss stuns fans and Panthers star with outlandish compliments
- Dylan Edwards confused by strange compliment
- NRL’s CEO said Edwards has amassed 193 assists
- Panthers claimed the minor premiership
Panthers fullback Dylan Edwards was left visibly flustered by a bizarre shout from NRL CEO Andrew Abdo during Saturday night’s small premiership presentation.
Penrith completed the minor NRL premiership and ended North Queensland’s season in a 44-12 hammer blow against the Cowboys at BlueBet Stadium.
Abdo was on hand to present the trophy to the side, but some of his comments left players and fans scratching their heads.
Abdo read a list of stats the team had collected over the past season, including handpicking Edwards.
“It’s very difficult to exclude an individual in such a phenomenal team performance, but I would like to acknowledge how united this team is,” he said.
Andrew Abdo was on hand to present the trophy to the Panthers, but some of his comments left players and fans scratching their heads
Dylan Edwards at fullback has 193 assists. That’s phenomenal.’
Edwards’ hilarious facial expressions said it all — and social media quickly jumped in.
Andrew Abdo just said that Dylan Edwards has 193 assists. Huh???,’ one fan posted.
“What did Abdo just say about Dyl Edwards? That made no sense,” replied another.
“Andrew Abdo pulls out some absolutely random, useless stats – just give them the shield and get off the podium, you moron…Dylan Edwards with 193 assists…Apparently he’s playing in the NBA,” said a third.
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 the performance of Jack Cogger auditioning for the five-eighth jersey.
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.
The Panthers claimed the JJ Giltinan Shield for the third time in four years
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.
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.