North Queensland Cowboys coach Todd Payten has stated that the team "got what we deserved" after a disappointing performance against the Manly Sea Eagles.
The Cowboys struggled notably, finishing with less than a 60% completion rate (42% at half-time) and committing 17 errors. Payten acknowledged that their performance fell significantly short of expectations, resulting in a loss by 32 points.
They were thoroughly outperformed, displaying none of the form that had propelled them to victories over the Titans, Storm, Dragons, and Broncos in their previous four outings.
Lacking cohesion, the team was particularly overwhelmed in the game's fundamentals, especially early on, allowing four tries within just 35 minutes.
"I thought they were harder at the contest with more energy," Payten remarked after the final score of 38-6.