The Cowboys host the Warriors in this Round 3 clash as both teams look to get back in the winner’s circle.
MATCHDAY NEWS
MATCHDAY SCHEDULE
North Queensland Cowboys Vs New Zealand Warriors
Venue: Queensland Country Bank Stadium
Date: Saturday March 18, 5:30pm AEDT
MATCHDAY TEAM NEWS
Cowboys: 1. Tom Chester 2. Kyle Feldt 3. Valentine Holmes 4. Gehamat Shibasaki 5. Murray Taulagi 6. Tom Dearden 7. Chad Townsend 8. Jordan McLean 9. Reece Robson 10. Reuben Cotter 11. Coen Hess 12. Jeremiah Nanai 13. Jason Taumalolo Interchange: 14. Jake Granville 15. Griffin Neame 16. Jamayne Taunoa-Brown 17. James Tamou Reserves: 18. Heilum Luki 19. Brendan Elliot 20. Taniela Sadrugu 21. Riley Price 22. Mitchell Dunn
Warriors: 1. Taine Tuaupiki 2. Edward Kosi 3. Brayden Wiliame 4. Adam Pompey 5. Marcelo Montoya 6. Te Maire Martin 7. Shaun Johnson 8. Addin Fonua-Blake 9. Wayde Egan 10. Bunty Afoa 11. Mitchell Barnett 12. Marata Niukore 13. Tohu Harris Interchange: 14. Dylan Walker 15. Josh Curran 16. Bayley Sironen 17. Tom Ale Reserves: 18. Viliami Vailea 20. Freddy Lussick 21. Ronald Volkman 22. Jazz Tevaga 23. Rocco Berry
Referee: Chris Sutton
Embed from Getty ImagesMATCHDAY PREVIEW
Scott Drinkwater and Peta Hiku are both out suspended for the Cowboys so Tom Chester comes in at fullback for just his second NRL game while Gehamat Shibasaki will start at centre. For the Warriors, Taine Tuaupiki will make his NRL debut, starting at fullback in place of Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad who is out with concussion. Bunty Afoa comes into the starting side in place of Jackson Ford with Bayley Sironen joining the bench.
Both sides come into this clash on the back of losses, with the Cowboys going down against the Broncos after a dominant second half from their opponents, while the Warriors ran out of gas in a valiant effort against the Roosters.
Despite the loss, the Cowboys’ big name forwards were all extremely busy, with Taumalolo running for 202 metres while Cotter (128m, as well as 41 tackles) and McLean (142m) both cracked triple figures. Tohu Harris was at his consistent best for the Warriors, running for 144 metres and making a whopping 60 tackles in a trademark 80-minute performance, with Addin Fonua-Blake also adding 144 metres of his own. That battle between the forwards in this match will be one to watch as both sides look to gain the ascendancy through the middle of the field.
Both teams will miss their fullbacks, relying on fresh faces in a key position. The Warriors have flashed their attacking potential across the opening two rounds, averaging six line breaks per game which is the most in the NRL, however they will want to turn these opportunities into more points if they want to upset the Cowboys.
LAST TEN MATCHES
Cowboys 5, Warriors 5
MATCHDAY PREDICTION
Cowboys by 6 points.
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