July 12, 2026 — 6:49pmManly fans were hoping their loss to the Eels last week was just a glitch in the Foz-ball system.But as Scott Drinkwater nailed a field goal from 32 metres out in golden point to hand the Cowboys a 19-18 victory and a spot inside the top eight, he also handed Kieran Foran his first loss at home as Sea Eagles head coach.It was a sobering moment for Foran and his Sea Eagles, who led only nine minutes earlier before Reuben Cotter barged across for the equaliser.The Sea Eagles were let off the hook as Jake Clifford missed the conversion to send the match into golden point. However, with the Cowboys carving their way through Manly’s middle, Drinkwater was served his field goal opportunity on a platter and the Dragons-bound fullback drilled it straight to claim victory.The defeat marks Foran’s first back-to-back losses as head coach and sends the Sea Eagles tumbling outside the top eight.For a time, it looked like Manly had done enough to limp home to victory, after a Jamal Fogarty grubber was grounded by Jason Saab in the 65th minute for his second try.But it was North Queensland who had the momentum in the second half, with Braidon Burns also getting a double – his outstretched arm getting the better of Koula and Lehi Hopoate to make the difference four points with 12 minutes left in the contest.The Cowboys celebrate the match-winning field goal by Scott Drinkwater (obscured) Jason McCawleyThe Cowboys had also dominated the early parts of the contest, with Tom Chester slipping between Jake Trbojevic and Simione Laifi to score the opener, before the visitors were denied a second three minutes later when Burns’ foot went into touch while trying to score.But the Sea Eagles controlled the middle part of the game, and with Reed Mahoney also controversially denied before half-time – his try was deemed a double movement, despite momentum carrying him towards the in-goal – it looked like the Sea Eagles would keep momentum in their favour.That shift was thanks to Tom Trbojevic, who cut through the middle of the field before passing out to a supporting Jason Saab on the right edge to score Manly’s first in the 16th minute.The Sea Eagles then went left to find their second, with a beautiful cut-out pass from Joey Walsh to Koula, who found Hopate waiting on the edge to score.Manly have dropped out of the top eight after losing back-to-back games.Getty ImagesNext, it was Olakau’atu’s turn to flatten the North Queensland defence, as he dragged Clifford, Mahoney, Zac Laybutt and Jeremiah Nanai with him as he muscled his way through and reached out to score one-handed.But the Sea Eagles tired in the second half, and Saab’s second was Manly’s only try in the final 40 minutes.Matters were made worse when Ben Trbojevic was forced off in the 11th minute following a head clash with Thomas Mikaele; he subsequently failed his head injury assessment. The Sea Eagles also lost Corey Waddell to an ankle injury in the first half.It all caught up with them in the end, as the Cowboys applied more creativity and speed to come home in the dying minutes of the match.Foran’s next challenge will be taking on his former club – the Titans – again, but this time on the Gold Coast on Sunday. It’s a challenge Foran has already had to overcome, with Manly narrowly winning 12-10 when they last met the Titans in May.From our partners