Expert
The Wests Tigers can’t make the finals, but they will be out to rain on the parade of the North Queensland Cowboys when they make the trip to Campbelltown. Join The Roar for live scores and coverage from 7:50pm (AEST).
Having been hampered by off-field issues all season, the Tigers have started to find form over the last month.
Ivan Cleary’s men have won two of their last four and could have won the others, most recently going down to the Sydney Roosters by just four.
Following a surprise win over the Sea Eagles, the Tigers found themselves down 16-0 against the Roosters last weekend. To be sitting second last on the table with nothing to play for and fight your way back in against a top-four side shows real resilience.
James Tedesco was the key man for the Tigers last week, the New South Wales fullback running 150 metres, scoring a try and laying on another.
Despite the off-field contract dramas, Tedesco and Aaron Woods have both continued to play solid footy. This will be their final game in Tigers colours at Campbelltown, and they will want to leave with a bang.
When you add those factors together with the Cowboys’ outrageous injury woes, it makes this task a difficult one for the visitors.
North Queensland have got used to life without Johnathan Thurston and Matt Scott, but they have also been without Lachlan Coote, Gavin Cooper, Shaun Fensom, Justin O’Neill, Antonio Winterstein, Kalyn Ponga and Ben Spina of late.
Fensom and Winterstein are back this week, and both Coote and Cooper are on the extended bench, but there have been some key learnings for the team.
While Coote has had an inconsistent season, it hurts the Cowboys when he isn’t on the park – it leaves too much pressure on Michael Morgan, as was shown last week’s loss to the Sharks. North Queensland fought hard in the face of adversity, but their defensive structure was woeful, meaning they were never really competitive.
Going down to Cronulla made it four straight losses and they are now clinging onto a spot in the top eight. One more win will likely be enough to play in the finals, but facing the Broncos next week makes this a must-win.
Prediction
The Cowboys aren’t showing any signs of turning around their losing streak – the Tigers will send Tedesco and Woods out of Campbelltown as winners.
Tigers by 8.
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