Roar Guru
The pressure is on the North Queensland Cowboys to register a win tonight but the South Sydney Rabbitohs will prove difficult opposition given their strong position on the NRL ladder. Join The Roar for live scores and commentary from 7.30pm AEST.
North Queensland’s poor form away from home continued on Monday night, falling to wooden spoon contenders Newcastle in a high scoring game.
The Cowboys however have been very impressive of late playing at home and will once again need to show up with their best footy against South Sydney.
The Rabbitohs are starting to click into gear following a slow start to the season but they too will need a complete performance to keep the Cowboys at bay away from home.
With both teams desperate for a win, tonight’s contest could end up being a tight but entertaining affair. The Rabbitohs have performed strongly in defence this season but face a good test against a North Queensland side with plenty of points in them.
Johnathon Thurston needs to fire for the Cowboys after an indifferent past few weeks for the Origin and Test half. His form since Origin 1 hasn’t been too good and he will need to rise to the occasion against the Rabbitohs tonight.
With Matt Scott missing upfront due to injury, the Cowboys may also have a tough time containing a South Sydney pack that is beginning to dominate thanks to the performances of the Burgess brothers, particularly Sam and George.
NSW Origin forward James Tamou really needs a strong game upfront if the Cowboys hope to match the Rabbitohs upfront.
Overall, this contest is a tricky one to predict. The Cowboys have been weakened thanks to the absence of Brent Tate and Scott but they have been very strong at home in recent matches.
With the top eight still within reach, the Cowboys may just scrap home in a very tight contest.
Cowboys by 4