'Speechless': Panthers-Cowboys epic ends in golden point draw

The Panthers' hunt for their fourth win of the season ended in dramatic fashion as the Cowboys pushed through a thrilling golden point battle to seal the result with a draw.

Penrith had two opportunities to seal the result in their favour in regular time but a desperate Cowboys defence denied any attempt by their rivals to get ahead.

An error followed from the Panthers as the Cowboys were given a penalty to place them in a strong position for an attempt at a field goal, which was missed by Scott Drinkwater.

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Drinkwater made a second attempt at a field goal in the first half of golden point but the ball swerved to the right of the posts and came up short of going into touch.

The comedy of errors continued for both teams as Jake Clifford and Nathan Cleary missed another two attempts at goal, with the Panthers star's shot charged down by Drinkwater.

"Is this a game show in the making? I'm speechless," commentator Andrew Voss laughed on Fox League.

Seconds after Clifford's shot swayed too far to the left, the siren sounded to confirm a draw in Townsville.

"We shouldn't have even been in that position, we had an opportunity ... It's just frustrating," Cleary told Fox League post-match.

Earlier, the hosts traded tries with the four-time defending premiers, who entered the half-time break with an 18-12 lead.

Clifford darted over to level the scores in the 45th minute before a controversial penalty turned the game on its head.

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Former Broncos coach Kevin Walters was then left fuming at a contentious penalty call in the 52nd minute as the Panthers were gifted an opportunity to claim a crucial lead.

Looking to break the stalemate with the scores level at 18-all, Penrith sent the ball to a storming Liam Henry to run through the middle in front of Murray Taulagi.

However, the Penrith prop was left down on the ground as his immediate contact with Taulagi forced him to fall into his rival's chest.

A penalty for a high shot was called by referee Todd Smith, although no contact was made with Henry's head by Taulagi in the tackle.

"That should not be a penalty," Walters said.

North Queensland players were heard pleading with Smith that it was not a high shot but such concerns were disregarded as Penrith were awarded a penalty.

"The defender cannot do anything there. Come on," Walters said.

"That should not be a penalty. What is he meant to do there?

"I think they (the referees) saw his head going back ... but there was no shoulder, it was all chest. There's nothing he can do."

"I'm not sure what I'm meant to be looking for," Voss added.

The incident proved costly for the Cowboys as just a few tackles later Blaize Talagi placed a pinpoint kick over defenders to open the gates for Thomas Jenkins to score.

"That's a game-changer," said Walters.

Talagi impressed in Townsville, recording four try assists before crossing for his own after Jenkins'.

Robert Derby attempted to collect a grubber from Cleary in the in-goal area but dropped the ball following a hard-hitting tackle from Jenkins.

The loose ball floated around on the turf before Talagi got his hands to it and scored.

Though the try lifted the Panthers to 30 points, the Cowboys hit back with back-to-back tries from Derby and Tom Dearden to level the scoreline and force a golden point battle.