Sea Eagles v Cowboys preview

Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles v North Queensland Cowboys
Brookvale Oval - Monday 7:00pm

Manly's revival faces its toughest test

After several wins in a row the Sea Eagles have prised themselves from the foot of the ladder, but still face a massive uphill climb if they're to mount a late charge for the finals. Their first true test will come against the high-flying Cowboys this coming Monday, thankfully for them, at their Fortress Brookvale home ground.

Manly's form is an interesting one. They have won three of their last four but their opponents weren't exactly world beaters - the Tigers, Sharks and Titans. The one loss came against the out-of-form reigning premiers - the Rabbitohs.

The Cowboys have had a week off to refresh themselves after a gruelling Origin period, and trail ladder leaders Brisbane by just two points. The week's break would have come at the perfect time for co-captains Johnathan Thurston and Matt Scott, as well as their remaining QLD & NSW stars.

Their form has been solid - ten straight wins followed by a hard-fought loss to Cronulla, and most recently a win over an out-of-sorts St. George Illawarra. How they bounce back from the Origin schedule will be on display in this contest.

Last Meeting: Round 12 2015 - North Queensland Cowboys 18 Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles 14

The Cowboys were in the midst of a record 10-straight wins just seven weeks ago, and were hot favourites to dominate the last-placed Sea Eagles - but on the day it all got turned on it's head. Manly led 8-6 at the break and were in front 14-12 right until the final minute before Gavin Cooper crossed on the back of a Jake Granville line-break to break Manly's hearts.

Who to watch: The obvious highlight of this contest will be the halves battle. For Manly, their star pairing of Foran & Cherry-Evans have been instrumental in crafting their recent winning run and providing excellent ball for their outside backs.

Townsville's best will be happy to have "JT" back steering the ship with fellow Maroons series winner Michael Morgan as his halves partner. After weeks of makeshift halves pairings reaping varied results, consistency will be key if Monday's visitors want to give Brisbane a run for the minor premiership.

The favourite: The Cowboys go into this marginal favourites, while Manly's home ground advantage means they are attracting plenty of interest.

My tip: With their best back it's hard to see the Cowboys not getting over the line. Manly's recent formline will be found out here. Cowboys by 14.

1. Brett Stewart 2. Jorge Taufua 3. Jamie Lyon 4. Steve Matai 5. Tom Trbojevic 6. Kieran Foran 7. Daly Cherry-Evans 8. Jake Trbojevic 9. Matt Ballin 10. Willie Mason 11. Feleti Mateo 12. Tom Symonds 13. Dunamis Lui
Interchange: 14. Luke Burgess 15. Josh Starling 16. Justin Horo 17. Ligi Sao 19. Jayden Hodges

1. Lachlan Coote 2. Matthew Wright 3. Justin O'Neill 4. Kane Linnett 5. Antonio Winterstein 6. Michael Morgan 7. Johnathan Thurston 8. Matthew Scott 9. Jake Granville 10. Ben Hannant 11. Gavin Cooper 12. Ethan Lowe 13. Jason Taumalolo
Interchange: 14. Rory Kostjasyn 15. John Asiata 16. Scott Bolton 17. Sam Hoare 19. Patrick Kaufusi

Referees: Gerard Sutton, Alan Shortall; Sideline Officials: David Ryan, Kasey Badger; Video Referees: Shayne Hayne, Ben Galea;

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