Check out the match preview and prediction for the final round clash between the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs and the North Queensland Cowboys.
MATCHDAY NEWS
MATCHDAY SCHEDULE
Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs Vs North Queensland Cowboys
Venue: Accor Stadium, Sydney
Date: Saturday September 7, 5:30pm
MATCHDAY TEAM NEWS
Bulldogs: 1. Connor Tracey, 2. Jeral Skelton, 3. Jacob Kiraz, 4. Stephen Crichton, 5. Josh Addo-Carr, 6. Drew Hutchison, 7. Toby Sexton, 8. Max King, 9. Reed Mahoney, 10. Samuel Hughes, 11. Viliame Kikau, 12. Jacob Preston, 13. Jaeman Salmon, 14. Bailey Hayward, 15. Kurtis Morrin, 16. Harry Hayes, 17. Josh Curran, 19. Blake Taaffe, 20. Jack Underhill, 21. Eli Clark, 22. Lipoi Hopoi, 23. Jonathan Sua
Cowboys:1. Scott Drinkwater, 2. Kyle Feldt, 3. Valentine Holmes, 4. Viliami Vailea, 5. Murray Taulagi, 6. Tom Dearden, 7. Jake Clifford, 8. Jordan McLean, 9. Reece Robson, 10. Jason Taumalolo, 11. Heilum Luki, 12. Jeremiah Nanai, 13. Reuben Cotter, 14. Sam McIntyre, 15. Thomas Mikaele, 16. Harrison Edwards, 17. Griffin Neame, 18. Jaxon Purdue, 19. Chad Townsend, 20. Kulikefu Finefeuiaki, 21. Marly Bitungane, 22. Tomas Chester
Referee: Gerard Sutton
Embed from Getty ImagesMATCHDAY PREVIEW
While both Canterbury (fifth) and North Queensland (sixth) are guaranteed to play finals, there’s still plenty riding on this game.
The winner of the clash will finish fifth and host an home elimination final. The loser will finish sixth or seventh, depending on other results.
Head-to-head stats can be found at Number Crunch Stats.
Canterbury have been one of the best defensive sides in 2024 (389 points conceded at an average of 16.9 points), the second-best defensively behind Penrith (382 at 16.6), along with scoring 523 points (22.7). By contrast, the Cowboys have 613 points for (26.6) and 562 against (24.4). While Canterbury have only conceded 30 points once this season, North Queensland have conceded 30+ six times. And they’ve only conceded single figures twice (16-6 against Penrith and 42-4 against Canberra).
Canterbury lost 34-22 to Manly-Warringah at Accor Stadium last weekend, while the Cowboys took 68 minutes to shake off a tenacious “Baby Storm” at Queensland Country Bank Stadium. Even when the game was secure, the Cowboys still leaked late points (winning 38-30). They’ll need to work on their defence to be a genuine premiership threat. If the Cowboys choose to keeping backing their attack, it could be shootout between Kyle Feldt and Josh Addo-Carr, which will be a treat for neutral fans.
Canterbury have a 21-19 advantage since 1998, though North Queensland won the last clash: 20-18 in round 20, 2024.
Canterbury captain Stephen Crichton returns from suspension, with Bronson Xerri banned for one game. Matt Burton won’t play due to concussion protocols – Drew Hutchison comes into five-eighth. For North Queensland, Thomas Mikaele returns from a hamstring injury.
The Accor Stadium crowd will be a huge advantage for the Bulldogs: over 35,000 attended the Manly game (despite the 6pm Friday timeslot) and they’ll expect a similar turnout for this game. A home elimination final is a massive prize for either side: the Bulldogs fans will flock to Homebush again (if Canterbury play their cards right, they may not need to leave Sydney during the finals), while the Cowboys will be desperate for a Townsville elimination final (possibly a Queensland derby against The Dolphins?).
Canterbury should get home in a close one infront of a passionate pro-Bulldogs crowd.
MATCHDAY PREDICTION
Check out all the NRL Predictions here.
Bulldogs by 6 points.
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