Storm v Cowboys preview

v BYE at

Best Attack vs best defence just one storyline in match of the round.

Ladies and gentleman, strap yourselves in and get ready for an early taste of semi final football. Throughout the first 9 rounds of the season both the North Queensland Cowboys and Melbourne Storm have proved that they are in the top tier of NRL teams and will no doubt for jostling for top 4 positions at seasons end.

What is most intriguing about this game is that it pits the best attack (Cowboys) against the best defence (Storm), however both the Cowboys and Storm have very decent defence and attack respectively which adds further fuel to a match that gives us an early glimpse into finals football. 

Both sides are 7-2 and are looking very good in season 2016. Confidence is brimming through both camps and that can only lead to further success throughout the season. 

This has game of the season potential written all over it and to be honest it's quite disappointing that the NRL has scheduled it in for the "graveyard" 5.30 pm slot when a primetime Friday Night time or Sunday afternoon would have attracted many more fans and TV viewers. Yes we understand that it's part of the double header but feel this match could be better utilized in a different time slot.

That aside, this is going to be a great game of Rugby League.

Last meeting: Preliminary Finals 2015 - Storm 12 Cowboys 32

Melbourne had a very disappointing loss last year to the eventual premiers at home in the preliminary final. In all of the meetings they've had with the Cowboys (which total 30 games) they hold a 20-10 record, although have dropped 3 of the last 4 games against the talented Cowboys outfit. In great news for all you Melbourne fans, the Storm have won 10 of 13 games played at Suncorp Stadium, whilst the Cowboys have recorded just 6 wins in 16 trips. 

Who to watch: With the Storm, their forward pack hasn't been getting the recognition they deserve, with Melbourne putting up some cricket scores in the past fortnight it has been their backs taking the accolades (and rightfully so as they have been doing a tremendous job), yet it's their forwards laying the platform and showing some real rock solid defence and one of the players that has been consistent and impressing has been Lock Dale Finucane. Averaging 62 minutes a game, Finucane has carved out some pretty handy statistics so far this season: 950 metres averaging 105 metres per game, 9 tackle busts, 6 offloads and 335 tackles (at 37 tackles per game). Finucane's defence has been his focal point in season's past yet his attacking stats have improved and he is proving a handy foil for the Storm's attacking stars showing some hard running and good hole running. Don't discount the hard workers in every team as they are invaluable, look for his big involvement in both defence and attack on Saturday night.

For the visitors, another quiet achiever has been Cowboys centre Kane Linnett. A damaging ball runner as well as having developed a great combination with speedster Antonio Winterstein. What is most liked about Linnett is his defensive reads and his strong tackles in 1 on 1 situations. Look for him to hit opposing forwards 1 on 1 and not back down. He is also a handy player to have with getting metres out of his own end and grinding out metres. Watch out if Linnett is given some space and time out wide on Saturday as he will carve up the Storm, that said it will be a great contest to see him line up opposite Tohu Harris who is one of the best defenders in the Storm side.

The favourite: Lucky dip? With it being a neutral venue this is hard to find who the favorite is, particularly that both sides are 7-2 and in the top 4. The Storm are slight favourites due to the Cowboys poor record at Suncorp Stadium.

My tip: This one is so hard to pick as we have two quality teams full of points and also capable of stopping them. So excited to see this unfold and should be a real treat for football fans all over the country. Leaning towards the Storm due to their stingy defence and the confidence built up over the last two weeks (albeit against poor opposition). The Cowboys are always a threat however and if Thurston, Morgan and co get going behind their rampant forward pack then they could easily run away with this one. So up in the air this result and could go either way.

Cronk vs Thurston, Smith vs Granville, Munster vs Coote and Bromwich vs Scott! What a match up! Storm by 6.

1. Cameron Munster 2. Suliasi Vunivalu 5. Cheyse Blair 4. Ben Hampton 18. Marika Koroibete 6. Blake Green 7. Cooper Cronk 8. Jesse Bromwich 9. Cameron Smith 15. Tim Glasby 11. Kevin Proctor 3. Tohu Harris 13. Dale Finucane
Interchange: 14. Kenneath Bromwich 10. Jordan McLean 12. Felise Kaufusi 17. Nelson Asofa-Solomona

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 14. Rory Kostjasyn 10. James Tamou 11. Gavin Cooper 12. Ethan Lowe 13. Jason Taumalolo
Interchange: 9. Jake Granville 15. Patrick Kaufusi 16. Scott Bolton 17. Ben Hannant

Referees: Gerard Sutton, Adam Devcich; Sideline Officials: Michael Wise, Rohan Best; Video Referees: Bernard Sutton, Ben Galea, Jason Robinson