Cowboys v Storm preview

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Title contenders meet in match of the round.

Saturday nights clash serves up what promises to be an absorbing clash when two of the heavyweights of the competition do battle in far North Queensland.

The Cowboys will see this match as a perfect opportunity for them to stamp their claim on the 2016 NRL Premiership and become the first side to win back to back premierships in the salary cap era. Last week's thumping of Canterbury was particularly impressive considering that for half of the game they did without playmaker Johnathan Thurston. Their attacking raids on the edges are causing teams all sorts of dramas.

They will be tested in this match however as the Storm have once again set the benchmark in the NRL and will be focused solely on again getting a job done this week. Their young forward pack has laid the platform all year and will again be expected to lead the way on Saturday night. With Cooper Cronk and Cameron Smith again leading the way for this impressive side, the sky is the limit for Melbourne as they march towards September.

Both sides have been fantastic this year and this game will be a cracker. Sides stacked with quality all over the park is sure to provide some classic moments in this match. Strap yourselves in folks.

Last meeting: Round 10 2016 - Storm 15 Cowboys 14

The Cowboys won a thriller by just one point in this season's earlier clash. It was an absorbing game right up until the finish, so don't expect this game to go any differently. Let's not forget that North Queensland knocked the Storm out of the finals in Melbourne last season in a lop sided preliminary final. This one has all the makings of a dog fight!

Who to watch: In the absence of Thurston, Ray Thompson needs to stand up and be counted. His kicking game will need to be on point from the get go and is an important weapon in pinning the Storm inside their own half. If he and the other Cowboys kickers are offline, Munster, Vunivalu and Koroibete will punish them and make easy metres off kick returns. Look for Thompson to take on the line particularly in the last 15 minutes of each half aiming up at tired defenders. With plenty of clubs sniffing around Thompson for 2017, he'd love a great performance. 

The Storm will be relying on Mr Dependable Cooper Cronk to guide them home once again. Despite being 32, Cronk is showing no signs of slowing down, and has churned out ten tries and sixteen try assists this season. Along with Cam Smith, he has been the focal point for the Storm high flying in second place. His consistent kicking game along with his organisational skills with the attack has him as one of the best halves in the game. He will be involved in everything come Saturday night.

The favourite: The Storm are slight favourites in this game despite being away from home.

My tip: This game is so difficult to pick. The Cowboys are at home but with no Thurston they are at a massive disadvantage. The Storm on the flip side are playing some really good, smart and concise football. Still though, this game could go either way. On the back of some very nice performances by their forward pack and with 'JT' out, I'm leaning towards a Storm win in a tight, hotly contested affair. Storm by 6.

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

1. Cameron Munster 2. Suliasi Vunivalu 3. Will Chambers 4. Cheyse Blair 5. Marika Koroibete 6. Blake Green 7. Cooper Cronk 8. Jesse Bromwich 9. Cameron Smith 15. Christian Welch 11. Kevin Proctor 12. Tohu Harris 13. Dale Finucane
Interchange: 14. Kenneath Bromwich 10. Felise Kaufusi 16. Ben Hampton 24. Tim Glasby

Referees: Ben Cummins, Dave Munro; Sideline Officials: Brett Suttor, Michael Wise; Video Referees: Bernard Sutton, Luke Patten, Jason Robinson;