North Queensland have sensationally been forced to play the final 12 minutes of Saturday’s 22-20 NRL defeat to Manly with just 12 men after running out of interchanges.

When prop Jordan McLean was forced off the field in the 68th minute with a hamstring injury, Cowboys coach Paul Green was hamstrung himself after using up his allocated eight substitutions at 1300SMILES Stadium.

It didn’t help that Cowboys centre Mitch Dunn was taken from the field on a medicab after falling awkwardly fielding a 66th-minute bomb.

Both teams had two players backing up from Wednesday’s State of Origin match in Brisbane, with North Queensland’s Michael Morgan and Josh McGuire taking the field along with Manly’s Daly Cherry-Evans and Jake Trbojevic.

The Sea Eagles’ gritty victory snapped North Queensland’s three-match winning streak and gave them a 7-6 record.

It capped a superb week for Manly and Queensland skipper Cherry-Evans, who celebrated victory in his first NRL match since round seven after returning from an ankle injury in Queensland’s Origin victory.

Manly star fullback Tom Trbojevic, making his return from a nine-week hamstring injury, looked rusty and his timing was off at times but he still played a crucial role in the victory.

He set up the opening try for second-rower Curtis Sironen with a crisp pass in the 23rd minute but dropped a John Asiata bomb that ultimately resulted in Cowboys interchange Francis Molo bagging his first NRL try just before halftime, as the hosts went to the break leading 20-12.

The drama-packed second half was full of controversy, with Manly lock Jack Gosiewski sent to the sin-bin for a professional foul five minutes after Jorge Taufua put the Sea Eagles within striking distance.

Yet the Cowboys couldn’t take advantage against a 12-man Manly outfit, despite a disallowed 55th-minute Reuben Cotter try.

Seven minutes later, Manly’s young five-eighth Cade Cust scored off a Cherry-Evans grubber which Morgan couldn’t handle, clinching the result.