Cowboys v Sea Eagles preview

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Sea Eagles aim to halt losing streak as Cowboys opt for consistency. 

The last match of the round sees the NRL move up to Townsville for two teams that are having very different seasons. Manly are desperate to somehow turn around their wretched 2016 campaign and are starting down the barrel of their 7th straight loss. Lots of things have gone wrong for Manly this year with injuries, poor form and suspensions curtailing any success that they might have thought they could have had in 2016. Daly Cherry Evans returns which will boost the form of their attack and will hopefully inspire some of his Manly team mates. If Manly want to cause the upset on Monday night then they will need to have a very high completion rate and also try to keep the Cowboys guessing with lots of second phase play and some ab lib style footy. 

The Cowboys on the flip side will look to add some consistency to their play after a strong start to the season. A tough last start loss to the Sharks has seen the Cowboys slip to a 9-5 record and have dropped two of their last 3 games. Paul Green will have his side focused on a committed 80 minute effort against the cellar dwellers, who without Michael Morgan will have Jonathan Thurston calling most of the shots. Danger game for the Cowboys against a Manly side that is desperate. 

Last meeting: Round 9 2016 - Sea Eagles 18 Cowboys 34

North Queensland have won the last 4 in a row against the Sea Eagles but did lose the previous 6 in a row before this current streak. At 1300Smiles Stadium the Sea Eagles have won 6 times in 13 trips up North. The Cowboys need just one try to secure 1,000 tries at 1300Smiles Stadium. 

Who to watch: For the Cowboys, keep a close eye on Gavin Cooper. His running lines and power when carrying the ball is extremely dangerous and he is one of the most potent forwards close to the line. Jonathan Thurston will be aiming to combine with him on Monday night and try to isolate a few of the Sea Eagles smaller players more specifically Daly Cherry Evans. Adding to this is Cooper's "take no prisoners" attitude in defence. A great tackler with solid technique he loves to crunch into opposing attackers. 

For Manly they need a huge game from Dylan Walker who moves back into the Five Eighth role. After a solid attacking showing in state of origin on Wednesday night Walker needs to try and continue to ride that momentum to help his side offensively. He has a wonderful step, great pace and is very elusive in broken field play. He will be looking to find gaps in the Cowboys defensive line and will get to run the ball a lot as Daly Cherry Evans will do a large bulk of the playmaking duties. 

The favourite: The Cowboys at home are strong favourites against a Manly side that has lost 6 straight.

My tip: The Cowboys to bounce back with a hard fought victory in this clash. I don't believe it will be easy for them but their attacking class and solid defense will get them over the line. Manly are a side under all sorts of pressure and this has weighed heavily on them, look for them to break the shackles and really take it to the Cowboys. Cherry Evans needs to have a monumental game if Manly are to cause the upset. Cowboys by 7.

1. Lachlan Coote 2. Kyle Feldt 3. Justin O'Neill 4. Kane Linnett 5. Antonio Winterstein 14. Rory Kostjasyn 7. Johnathan Thurston 8. Matthew Scott 9. Jake Granville 10. James Tamou 11. Gavin Cooper 12. Ethan Lowe 13. Jason Taumalolo
Interchange: 15. John Asiata 16. Scott Bolton 17. Ben Hannant 18. Patrick Kaufusi

1. Brett Stewart 2. Jorge Taufua 3. Tom Trbojevic 6. Dylan Walker 4. Brayden Wiliame 20. Jamie Lyon 7. Daly Cherry-Evans 8. Darcy Lussick 9. Apisai Koroisau 10. Martin Taupau 11. Nathan Green 12. Jamie Buhrer 13. Jake Trbojevic
Interchange: 14. Lewis Brown 15. Josh Starling 16. Addin Fonua-blake 17. Siosaia Vave

Referees: Matt Cecchin, Chris Butler; Sideline Officials: Nick Beashel, Clayton Sharpe; Video Referees: Ashley Klein, Steve Chiddy, Ben Galea