- Video
-
Club Roar
Captured a great grassroots sporting moment? We want to see it!Content Collections
The Roar Community
- Join
- Login
It’s a case of a side wanting to keep their recent good form alive up against a side desperate for a win when the North Queensland Cowboys and Canterbury Bulldogs clash. Join The Roar for all the action from 7:30pm (AEST).
This promises to be the match of the round – two huge forward packs will go head-to-head and both teams’ halves have a point to prove.
Johnathan Thurston has been in sublime form of late, but will be disappointed that his most recent outing in the Test match was below his lofty standards, while Trent Hodkinson can keep the challengers for his Blues number 7 jersey at bay with a commanding performance.
The Dogs have had a fortnight to dwell on their last-start loss to the Tigers and will be keen to get a positive result on the road. Moses Mbye shifts into five-eighth in place of the suspended Josh Reynolds, while Josh Morris is expected to make his return from injury. David Klemmer returns from his enforced holiday for dissent, and will add size and strength to a pack that already boasts plenty of it.
After a difficult start to the season life is pretty rosy at Townsville at the moment, with the Cowboys racking up plenty of wins including a dramatic late win over the Knights last start. Unfortunately for them injuries have hit them at the worst possible time.
Matthew Wright returns to replace Tautau Moga. Jason Taumalolo’s knee injury sees John Asiata taking his spot at lock, while Kelepi Tanginoa comes on to the bench, and Rory Kostjasyn returns to the interchange in place of Scott Bolton who suffered an off-field injury while fishing during the week.
The Dogs have an incredibly strong record over the Cowboys, having won 21 of the 32 meetings between the two sides, but they might just be outsiders this time.
This match is likely to be a highly physical battle, with the two big packs willing to put everything on the line – the smaller men will have their part to play but it won’t be until much later in the game.
Having home advantage could favour the Cowboys – they’ve lost some key players, but they’ve created a strong culture.
Cowboys to win in a tight one.
Join The Roar from 7.30pm AEST for live blog coverage, don’t forget to join in on the conversation.
Reckon you can pick the winning team? Build your own dream team with Draftstars daily fantasy and compete on any match. For great odds on the NRL head on over to PlayUp. Imagine what you could be buying instead. Set a deposit limit.