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[VIDEO] North Queensland Cowboys vs Brisbane Broncos: NRL finals highlights, scores, blog

13th September, 2014
Teams

Cowboys
1 Michael Morgan
2 Kyle Feldt
3 Tautau Moga
4 Kane Linnett
5 Antonio Winterstein
6 Robert Lui
7 Johnathan Thurston (c)
8 Matt Scott (c)
9 Rory Kostjasyn
10 Ashton Sims
11 Gavin Cooper
12 Tariq Sims
13 Jason Taumalolo

Interchange
14 Ray Thompson
15 Scott Bolton
16 Glenn Hall
17 James Tamou

Broncos
1 Justin Hodges (c)
2 Daniel Vidot
3 Corey Oates
4 Dale Copley
5 Lachlan Maranta
6 Ben Barba
7 Ben Hunt
8 Josh McGuire
9 Andrew McCullough
10 Corey Parker (c)
11 Alex Glenn
12 Matt Gillett
13 Sam Thaiday

Interchange
14 Jarrod Wallace
15 Martin Kennedy
16 Ben Hannant
17 Todd Lowrie
18 David Hala

Kickoff: Saturday 13th September, 7.55pm AEST
Venue: 1300Smiles Stadium, Townsville
Last Meeting: Cowboys 27 def Broncos 14, RD 9 2014
Referee: Gerard Sutton, Ben Cummins
Head-to-Head: Cowboys 4, Broncos 5 (Last 9 meetings)
Betting: Cowboys $1.42, Broncos $2.95
The Cowboys head to Brisbane to take on the Broncos. (www.photosport.co.nz)
Roar Guru
13th September, 2014
148
8692 Reads

The North Queensland Cowboys and Brisbane Broncos put their season and history on the line in tonight’s elimination final. Join The Roar from 7:55pm (AEST) for live coverage.

It all comes downs to this. The winner goes forth, while the loser heads home.

After six months of brutal competition the red-hot Cowboys will do the battle with the tenacious Broncos for Queensland bragging rights, and the right to continue in the 2014 finals.

Wind the clock back to February and these two teams put on a show in the inaugural final of the NRL Nines tournament. Tonight’s match promises to be no less spectacular, even with the addition of eight extra players on the field.

The Cowboys come in on a winning streak that has included victories over premiership heavyweights South Sydney and Manly, and an unconvincing performance against the Sharks, which was enough to see them finish the season in fifth position.

Meanwhile, the Broncos spent last weekend in footy limbo. A loss to the Storm meant that their destiny was out of their hands, but other results allowed them to finish in eighth spot.

Could this be Anthony Griffin’s last hurrah? There was a lot to like about his dignified response when it was confirmed that he would no longer be coaching the Broncos, and it could give his charges extra motivation.

Griffin has made several changes to the side that went down gallantly to the Storm.

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Sam Thaiday returns from suspension and is a welcome inclusion in the back-row. Captain Corey Parker will shift from lock to front-row, with Ben Hannant dropping back to an extended bench, while Corey Oates will start at centre in place of the injured Jack Reed.

Cowboys coach Paul Green has named an unchanged side from the team that defeated Manly. It is a luxury that should play into his hands as the Cowboys have developed some impressive combinations over the past month.

Prediction
Tonight’s encounter is the third occasion the two sides have met in a finals campaign. The Cowboys won both previous meetings, in 2004 and 2012.

The men from Townsville will just be hoping the match isn’t decided by a refereeing blunder after being on the receiving end of some clangers in recent years.

Head-to-head, honours are fairly even between the two sides in recent years. The two clashed twice in 2014, with the Broncos winning the first meeting 16-12 in Round 2, while the Cowboys reverse the result with 27-14 victory in Round 9.

On paper the two teams are fairly equal. The Cowboys’ slight size advantage in the forwards are countered with the Broncos’ agility and ball skills. Ben Barba and Ben Hunt running onto an offload from Corey Parker against a tiring opposition could create havoc.

The Cowboys backline is littered with players who know how to find the tryline. Antonio Winterstein is one of the game’s best finishers and Kyle Feldt also knows how to get the ball down in a tight sport.

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If they can get the lion’s share of possession, the Cowboys have a few more points in them than the Broncos.

Whatever the result this match promises to be something very special.

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