North Queensland Cowboys vs Manly Sea Eagles: NRL live scores, blog

Roar Guru

18th March, 2017

7203 Reads

Kick-off: 9pm (AEDT)
Venue: 1300SMILES Stadium, Townsville
TV: Live, Fox Sports
Online: Live, NRL Digital Pass
Betting: Cowboys $1.27, Sea Eagles $3.90
Head-to-head: Cowboys 12, Sea Eagles 13
Referees: Henry Perenara, Peter Gough

Cowboys
Cowboys: 1. Kalyn Ponga 2. Kyle Feldt 3. Justin O’Neill 4. Kane Linnett 5. Javid Bowen 6. Michael Morgan 7. Johnathan Thurston 8. Patrick Kaufusi 9. Jake Granville 10. Scott Bolton 11. Gavin Cooper 16. Coen Hess 12. Ethan Lowe 14. Ben Hampton 15. John Asiata 17. Sam Hoare 18. Shaun Fensom 19. Gideon Gela-Mosby 20. Corey Jensen 21. Ben Spina

Sea Eagles
1. Tom Trbojevic 2. Jorge Taufua 3. Dylan Walker 4. Brian Kelly 5. Akuila Uate 6. Blake Green 7. Daly Cherry-Evans 8. Brenton Lawrence 9. Apisai Koroisau 10. Nate Myles 11. Frank Winterstein 12. Curtis Sironen 13. Jake Trbojevic 14. Cameron Cullen 15. Lewis Brown 16. Jarrad Kennedy 17. Shaun Lane 18. Jonathan Wright 19. Jackson Hastings 20. Matthew Wright 21. Billy Bainbridge

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The Cowboys were exposed without Thurston's leadership. (AAP Image/Tracey Nearmy)

Isaac Nowroozi

Roar Guru

18th March, 2017

7203 Reads

Match result:

The Manly Sea Eagles kick-started their season with a surprising win over the North Queensland Cowboys on Saturday night.

» Click here to read the full match report

Final score
North Queensland Cowboys 8
Manly Sea Eagles 30

Match preview:

The North Queensland Cowboys are looking to maintain their unbeaten run when they host the Manly Sea Eagles. Join The Roar from 9pm (AEDT) for live scores and commentary.

Coming off a thrilling golden point win over Queensland rivals the Brisbane Broncos, the Cowboys will be looking for a more decisive win over a struggling Manly side.

Johnathan Thurston came to rescue again, kicking a picture-perfect field goal to give his side the 21-10 win in North Queensland’s second golden point win in as many games.

The Cowboys are less than 100 per cent, with Matt Scott, Jason Taumalolo, Lachlan Coote and Antonio Winterstein missing this clash, leaving both the pack and backline exposed.

Nate Myles will be looking to expose these gaps when he leads his forwards in a must-win game for Manly.

The Cowboys are off to a good start this year, undefeated to day with a 20-16 win over the Canberra Raiders and a golden point win over the Brisbane Broncos last weekend.

Manly, on the other hand, are at the opposite end of the scale – they lost to the Eels 12-20 in Round 1, and the Rabbitohs 18-38 in Round 2.

Despite losing two in a row, the Sea Eagles do have the quality to win this game.

The Trbojevic brothers look dangerous every time they get the ball and if Daly Cherry-Evans can find some space he will give the Cowboys a lot to think about.

Prediction
Manly have struggled to get the ball they need to give the likes of Cherry-Evans and Tom Trbojevic space, and with the Cowboys averaging a completion rate of 81 per cent, it’s not like their making many mistakes.

If North Queensland can continue to control the ball, they should get their third straight win.

Cowboys by 8

Join The Roar from 9pm (AEDT) for live scores and commentary.

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