Check out the match preview and prediction for the round 26 clash between the North Queensland Cowboys and the Melbourne Storm.
MATCHDAY NEWS
MATCHDAY SCHEDULE
North Queensland Cowboys Vs Melbourne Storm
Venue: Queensland Country Bank Stadium, Townsville
Date: Thursday 29 August, 7:50pm
MATCHDAY TEAM NEWS
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. Harrison Edwards, 16. Kulikefu Finefeuiaki, 17. Griffin Neame, 18. Jaxon Purdue, 19. Chad Townsend, 20. Tomas Chester, 21. Marly Bitungane, 22. Braidon Burns
Storm: 1. Ryan Papenhuyzen, 2. Dean Ieremia, 3. Marion Seve, 4. Young Tonumaipea, 5. Sualauvi Faalogo, 6. Cameron Munster, 7. Grant Anderson, 8. Lazarus Vaalepu, 9. Tyran Wishart, 10. Christian Welch, 11. Kane Bradley, 12. Joe Chan, 13. Alec MacDonald, 14. Keagan Russell-Smith, 15. Tepai Moeroa, 16. Ativalu Lisati, 17. Tristan Powell, 18. Coby Williamson, 19. Ammaron Gudgeon, 20. Josh King, 21. Trent Loiero, 22. Nick Meaney
Referee: Grant Atkins
Embed from Getty ImagesMATCHDAY PREVIEW
Round 26 kicks off in Townsville on Thursday night when the Cowboys play host to the Storm. The Cowboys are looking to solidify their position in the top eight, while the Storm will look to consolidate their form after securing the minor premiership last week.
For the Cowboys, Jeremiah Nanai returns after missing last week with a concussion, while Jason Taumalolo also returns after missing a few weeks with a cheekbone injury. Kulikefu Finefeuiaki and Sam McIntyre revert to the bench, with Thomas Mikaele and Jaxon Purdue dropping out of the 17.
The bye in round 25 came at the perfect time for the Cowboys, as it has ensured they’ll be playing finals footy in 2024. The only question that remains is whether they can secure a home final. They should come into this game well rested and welcome back one of their key attacking weapons in Nanai. He’ll give the Storm defence another attacking threat to worry about. This game will also mark the final regular season game at home for the club’s leading try scorer Kyle Feldt, who announced earlier in the week he’ll be leaving the Cowboys at season’s end. In the past two matchups against the Storm in Townsville, the Cowboys have won both by 30 and 25 points respectively.
For the Storm, Craig Bellamy has reacted to his side securing the minor premiership by choosing to rest 11 of his regular starters. Harry Grant, Eliesa Katoa, Jack Howarth, Jahrome Hughes, Nelson Asofa-Solomona, Shawn Blore, Tui Kamikamica, and Will Warbrick are all out of the squad completely. Josh King, Trent Loiero and Nick Meaney are in the reserves but are not expected to play. Replacing them in the backline are Dean Ieremia, Marion Seve, and Young Tonumaipea. Grant Anderson replaces Jahrome Hughes at halfback, with Christian Welch and Alec MacDonald moving into the starting side at prop and lock respectively. Tyran Wishart moves to hooker, with Lazarus Vaalepu the other starting prop. Kane Bradley and Joe Chan start in the back row. Tepai Moeroa joins the bench alongside three debutants in Keagan Russell-Smith, Tristan Powell, and Ativalu Lisati.
With the minor premiership secure, the Storm have the luxury of giving their key players a week off to spare them from the long trip up to Townsville. While it’s not quite a reserve grade side they’ll be running out, there’s plenty of debutants and players playing out of position, which will create opportunities for the Cowboys. Having said that, the onus will be on the remaining stars like Cameron Munster, Ryan Papenhuyzen, and Tyran Wishart to lead from the front and show the Cowboys they can still put up a fight. If they manage to pull out a win against the odds in Townsville, it would be an immense confidence boost to a team already riding high and would make them an even more challenging opponent in the weeks to come.
Head-to-head stats can be found at Number Crunch Stats.
MATCHDAY PREDICTION
Check out all the NRL Predictions here.
Cowboys by 12 points.
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