Cowboys v Sharks preview

North Queensland Cowboys v Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks
1300SMILES Stadium - Saturday 7:40pm

North Queensland look to end "conspiracy" with win at home against Cronulla.

After years of heartbreak due to controversial refereeing decisions, the Cowboys have a golden opportunity to make their first Preliminary Final appearance since 2007. While the end result may have gone against them last week, North Queensland lost few admirers as they pushed right until the 80th minute before going down to Brisbane. In the only change from the side beaten 16-12, interchange hooker Rory Kostjasyn has been named ahead of Ray Thompson, who has been included on an extended bench. Saturday marks the first time in eight seasons that North Queensland will play a Semi Final in Townsville; back in 2007, a second half masterclass led by Johnathan Thurston and Matt Bowen saw the Cowboys annihilate the New Zealand Warriors 49-12 in sweltering conditions. After joining the club from the Sydney Roosters in 2012, centre Kane Linnett will make the game by celebrating his 100th appearance for the Cowboys.

Coming away with a comprehensive win last week, the Sharks will need to improve dramatically if they are to match it with the Cowboys. While the fulltime score signaled Cronulla recorded the biggest win of the opening week of the finals, in actuality the Sharks could have recorded a much larger victory if they demonstrated a more ruthless attitude. With Michael Ennis avoiding suspension, the Sharks will be able to field the same side as last week, with former premiership winner Matt Prior named as cover for the trip to Townsville. In the 20 years these sides have met in Townsville, the Sharks hold a narrow 11-9 lead including earlier this season, where a second half revival saw Shane Flanagan's troops come from 18-0 down to prevail 24-18.

Last meeting: Round 22 2015 - Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks 30 North Queensland Cowboys 18

Who to watch: While representative honours have eluded him throughout his career, second rower Gavin Cooper has been a huge driving force in the Cowboys recent success. Returning to North Queensland after stints with the Titans and Panthers in 2011, Cooper has formed a lethal combination with halfback Johnathan Thurston on the left edge for the Cowboys that has yielded positive results; most notably the hat-trick of tries scored against Parramatta earlier in the season at Pirtek Stadium. With the Cronulla forwards boasting immense size and creativity, it will be up to Cooper and the rest of the North Queensland forward pack to face up to the challenge and see the home side prevail at the end of 80 minutes.

After a falling out with Shane Flanagan early in the season, prop Sam Tagaetese has made amends with the Cronulla coach and has produced some of the best football of his career. Scoring a try against the Rabbitohs last week, the Samoan international will be out to square off against the experience of Cowboys representative trio Matt Scott, James Tamou and Ben Hannant. Starting off as a versatile edge forward capable of playing in the backline, Tagaetese has developed into a hard-hitting front-rower renown for bruising defence and an ability to make the most of his limited game time.

The favourite: With North Queensland playing in front of their home fans, the Sharks are expected to bow out of the finals race, setting up a clash with the Storm for the Cowboys.

My tip: This is an incredibly tough game to pick. The Cowboys are capable of blowing the Sharks away early, but if Shane Flanagan's men can grind away they may be able to finish over the top due to the fatigue sustained by the home side following last week's loss to Brisbane. In a game set to go down to the wire, look for the unpredictability of Ben Barba and Andrew Fifita to be the difference. Sharks by 2.

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

1. Michael Gordon 2. Sosaia Feki 3. Gerard Beale 4. Ricky Leutele 5. Valentine Holmes 6. Jack Bird 7. Jeff Robson 8. Chris Heighington 9. Michael Ennis 10. Sam Tagataese 11. Luke Lewis 12. Wade Graham 13. Paul Gallen
Interchange: 14. Ben Barba 15. Anthony Tupou 16. Andrew Fifita 17. Jayson Bukuya 18. Matt Prior

Referees: Gerard Sutton, Gavin Badger; Sideline Officials: Steve Carrall, Brett Suttor; Video Referees: Ashley Klein, Luke Patten;

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