Check out the match preview and prediction for the round 23 clash between the North Queensland Cowboys and Brisbane Broncos.
MATCHDAY NEWS
MATCHDAY SCHEDULE
North Queensland Cowboys vs Brisbane Broncos
Venue: Qld Country Bank Stadium
Date: Saturday, 10 August 2024, 17:30
MATCHDAY TEAM NEWS
Cowboys: 1. Scott Drinkwater, 2. Kyle Feldt, 3. Valentine Holmes, 4. Viliami Vailea, 5. Murray Taulagi, 6. Tom Dearden, 7. Chad Townsend, 8. Jordan McLean, 9. Reece Robson, 10. Sam McIntyre, 11. Heilum Luki, 13. Reuben Cotter, 14. Harrison Edwards, 15. Thomas Mikaele, 16. Kulikefu Finefeuiaki, 17. Griffin Neame, 18. Jaxon Purdue, 19. Jake Clifford, 20. Tomas Chester, 21. Semi Valemei, 22. Marly Bitungane, 24. Jeremiah Nanai
Players cut from final squad:
Broncos: 1. Reece Walsh, 2. Josiah Karapani, 3. Kotoni Staggs, 4. Deine Mariner, 5. Jesse Arthars, 6. Joshua Rogers, 7. Adam Reynolds, 8. Corey Jensen, 9. Billy Walters, 10. Xavier Willison, 11. Brendan Piakura, 12. Jordan Riki, 13. Patrick Carrigan, 14. Blake Mozer, 15. Kobe Hetherington, 16. Tristan Sailor, 17. Martin Taupau, 18. Cory Paix, 19. Benjamin Te Kura, 20. Jaiyden Hunt, 21. Corey Oates, 22. Vaa Semu
Players cut from final squad:
Referee: Ashley Klein
Bunker: Matt Noyen
MATCHDAY PREVIEW
It’s Last Chance Saloon for the Broncos as the coincidentally head into Cowboys territory like a Western in the hope of keeping their finals hopes alive for 2024. In reality, last weekend signalled the end of their realistic chances, after being blown off the park in the second half by the Titans and losing Payne Haas and Ezra Mam potentially out for the season through injuries.
Brisbane needs to win all their games and hope other games go their way, which is convenient this weekend as one of those teams they need to lose are their opponent this Saturday. But it won’t be easy, the North Queensland Cowboys have found some decent form of late. Since Magic Round the Cowboys have won eight of their last ten games, including wins over the four top five teams they have played in that run, including a rare win in Penrith.
Scott Drinkwater is one of the main players driving the recent success, he is currently top for line break assists and second best for try assists, and his efforts from the back see the Cowboys currently second for points scored this season. North Queensland is also in the top three for Run Metres, Post Contact Metres, Line Breaks and Errors. Tom Dearden too continues to shine after being Queensland’s best in State of Origin. Their outside backs being as fast and capable as they are, it’s no wonder the Cowboys scored a lot of points.
But it’s not all point scoring prowess from North Queensland, they have been able to win some tough, low-scoring games against the Bulldogs, and the Roosters and Panthers in Sydney. One could argue they are looking finals ready, so a slip up here against their Queensland rivals would put a dent in the recent momentum. Plus open the door for the Broncos microscopic finals chances.
For the away side, the loss of Haas will be felt by the Broncos, but that does give a great opportunity for Xavier Willison, a player some are calling The Beast, to get an extended run at a starting spot. The giant forward’s progression throughout the season has been one of very few positives during the season. Mam too is a loss for the Broncos’ attacking potency, and although his replacement Josh Rogers is capable enough, he doesn’t have that X Factor that Mam explodes with, or a similarly electric combination with Reece Walsh. At their best. Or maybe they could do with a steady pair of hands. This writer has said for many years that Guy Hamilton is one of the best players in the Queensland Cup not to get a proper crack at the NRL, and they could do worse giving him a go, even at the age of 29.
But Walsh as ever will be a focus and a key player, but he is cutting more of a frustrated figure at the moment, trying too hard to get the spluttering Broncos back in winning form. The return of Adam Reynolds to take some pressure off worked for a week against Newcastle a few rounds ago, but last weekend proved that despite the patches of brilliance, Walsh can’t paper over all the deficiencies. As much as he tries. And one does wonder if there’s more going on behind the scenes at the Broncos, with talk of changing captain from Adam Reynolds to Patrick Carrigan surely going to unsettle the playing group. Perhaps they could wrestle for it, like in pre-season.
Stats-wise, recent form is all Cowboys given they have lost two games since Magic Round and the Broncos have only won one game. And you would think that Townsville would be a hard place for teams to visit, but not quite so in 2024 for the Cowboys. Their home record this season is five wins and four losses, and on a Saturday, it is two wins and four losses. Their recent win over Cronulla snapping a four-game losing run at home on a Saturday. The Broncos too have the recent Head-to-Head advantage, winning the last three games between these sides. But those stats are history, and the here and now says the Broncos season will be officially done this weekend.
Head-to-head stats can be found at Number Crunch Stats.
MATCHDAY PREDICTION
Check out all the NRL Predictions here.
Cowboys by 18 points.
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