Craig Cauchi previews the clash between Cowboys and Dragons. This is what we have to look forward to.
Embed from Getty ImagesTEAM NEWS
Venue: Queensland Country Bank Stadium, Date: 20/03/21, Time: 6:35pm (local)
North Queensland Cowboys
- Scott Drinkwater
- Kyle Feldt
- Esan Marsters
- Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow
- Valentine Holmes
- Michael Morgan
- Jake Clifford
- Francis Molo
- Reece Robson
- Jordan McLean
- Mitchell Dunn
- Coen Hess
- Jason Taumalolo*
- Jake Granville
- Josh McGuire
- Corey Jensen
- Reuben Cotter
- Lachlan Burr
- Shane Wright
- Murray Taulagi
- Ben Hampton
Team Changes
IN: Ben Hampton, Lachlan Burr, Murray Taulagi, Shane Wright
OUT: Jason Taumalolo* (ruled out on Thursday)
St George Illawarra Dragons
- Matthew Dufty
- Cody Ramsey
- Jack Bird
- Zac Lomax
- Mikaele Ravalawa
- Corey Norman
- Ben Hunt
- Blake Lawrie
- Andrew McCullough
- Paul Vaughan
- Josh Kerr
- Tariq Sims
- Tyrell Fuimaono
- Poasa Faamausili
- Trent Merrin
- Daniel Alvaro
- Brayden Wiliame
- Adam Clune
- Kaide Ellis
- Jackson Ford
- Jordan Pereira
Team Changes
IN: Corey Norman, Jackson Ford, Jordan Pereira, Kaide Ellis
OUT: nil
Referee: Ben Cummins
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
North Queensland Cowboys
Embed from Getty ImagesThe Cowboys performance came under heavy criticism from their new coach Todd Payten. They failed to fire a shot against Penrith and were lucky not to be on the end of a bigger score line.
St George Illawarra Dragons
Embed from Getty ImagesThe Dragons put behind a sluggish first half performance to come out with much more aggression in the second half. It still wasn’t enough and as decisions started going against them, they dropped their heads and leaked two simple tries to lose grip on the contest.
PREVIEW
Both sides are searching for confidence heading into the new season with the pressure on both sides to perform. Can the Cowboys kick off their season with a win at home? Or will the Dragons shake off their travelling woes?
Jason Taumalolo is a massive out for the home side, but there is a lot more from their performance last week that they’ll be looking to improve on. The Cowboys have a great record at home against the Dragons and have the attacking prowess to score points. Their defence ensured that the Panthers didn’t rack up a cricket score but it took far too much energy out of their attack. The focus will need to be on completing sets and getting the fundamentals right.
The Dragons welcome back Corey Norman from a one match suspension. All eyes will be on his performance with fellow half Ben Hunt. Since joining the club his combination with the new captain has failed to set off and much has been spoken about linking up with Anthony Griffin and Andrew McCullough. This is the kind of match that top quality halves should be able to control and if they want to deliver the Dragons a finals spot then they need to step up.
KEY STAT
The Cowboys beat the Dragons last year off the back of a strong performance from Valentine Holmes. The performance from both teams epitomised their seasons – with the Cowboys only putting it together for certain periods and the Dragons failing to maintain control of the game.
PREDICTION
Expect both sides to bring their inconsistent best. There’ll be moments in this match of lovely attack but there will be moments of frustration too. I expect the Cowboys to come over the top in front of their home fans.
Cowboys by 10.
Follow Nothing But League on Twitter and Facebook.
