Payne to miss Grand
Final replay

North Queensland hooker Aaron Payne has failed in his bid to line up against Wests Tigers in tomorrow night's NRL clash in Townsville.

The game will be a re-run of last season's grand final, where the Tigers ran out winners. Payne - who has missed the Cowboys' last three wins ? was ruled unfit today after a last-minute check on his injured neck. But there was some good news for the North Queenslanders with veteran centre and former captain Paul Bowman cleared to play.

The contest between rival five-eighths Benji Marshall of the Tigers and the Cowboy's Johnathan Thurston is set to be a highlight of the keenly anticipated clash. More than 21,000 tickets have already been pre-sold.