Roar Guru
Scoreline: Knights 24-26 Cowboys
What a crazy game of footy. The Cowboys deserved their win but boy they nearly let the victory slip after producing some poor errors in attack particularly late in the contest. Uate and Leilua came up with great individual efforts to keep Newcastle in the game but the Cowboys on the back of sharp attack from Thompson, Morgan, Coote and Thurston got them home again. Five in a row for the Cowboys. Knights with four straight defeats.
The Newcastle Knights have lost three straight matches and now face a tough ask hosting the in-form North Queensland Cowboys. Join The Roar for live scores and commentary from 2pm (AEST).
Newcastle started season 2015 in stellar form, winning their first four matches on the trot.
Arguably their best win of the season came in Round 2, when they defeated the Cowboys in Townsville after trailing 14-nil early in the contest.
Fast forward to the present however and it’s the Cowboys riding high after four straight victories which has seen them rescue a season that was spiralling out of control after three rounds.
North Queensland now stand alongside the Dragons and the Storm as the NRL’s in-form teams.
After a poor start to the season, the Cowboys are playing like a team destined to achieve big things come September.
On confidence alone, the Cowboys start big favourites this afternoon.
Newcastle have lost touch with their best form as evidenced by last week’s defeat to the Eels. Leading 12-nil early in the game, the Knights let Parramatta back into the contest and were eventually well beaten, despite dominating the penalty count.
The Knights have to get back to basics if they are to upset the Cowboys. They need to play direct and turn this contest into an arm wrestle. Halves Jarrod Mullen and Tyrone Roberts need to kick long and play for territory before taking risks.
If Newcastle can show up with the intensity that allowed them to defeat North Queensland back in Round 2, then they are a chance of causing the upset.
Anything less though and the Cowboys may put on a score this afternoon, particularly if Johnathan Thurston continues his rich vein of form.
Cowboys by 10.