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Will the North Queensland Cowboys begin their resurgence after a dejecting start to 2018 or will the Canterbury Bulldogs assert themselves as genuine finals prospects? Join The Roar for live scores and a blog of the match, starting at 5:35pm AEDT.
The Cowboys have easily been the most disappointing side in the early stages of this year’s competition.
Many anticipated that with the return of Jonathan Thurston and Matt Scott North Queensland would simply be unmatched across the park.
This assumption is understandable given the talent of Paul Green’s roster and his imposing forward pack in particular.
Yet, despite their potential, the Cowboys have just one victory to their name in 2018 – a six-point win over Cronulla.
Since that clash, however, last year’s Grand Finalists have lost five-straight games and have conceded an average of 27.25 points per game.
Fullback Lachlan Coote has finally been named to make his return from injury on Saturday night with Ben Hampton shifting to the centres in place of Javid Bowen.
While many people had quite clear expectations of the Cowboys in 2018, not many knew what exactly they would see from Dean Pay’s Bulldogs.
Canterbury attempted to improve their spluttering attack from 2017 through the purchase of Kieran Foran and positional switching of Moses Mbye.
While the Bulldogs may have improved in this area, it is still a work in progress with Canterbury averaging the fifth-least points in the competition heading into Saturday night’s clash.
The Bulldogs’ defence, however, is of equal concern with the ‘Dogs of War’ conceding 26 points per game in 2018 – the third-worst in the league.
Tip
Neither side fills me with much confidence but surely a faltering Bulldogs outfit is just the kind of opposition that the Cowboys need to get back on track.
Cowboys by 10.
Join The Roar for live scores and a blog of the match, starting at 5:30pm AEDT.
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