Round 5: Bulldogs v Cowboys preview
Two sides with high expectations but struggling for consistency battle on Sunday night
For both the Bulldogs and Cowboys, 2023 promised bigger and better things.
Sure, there was no guarantee of a top-eight finish for Canterbury-Bankstown but a star-studded recruitment drive and the hiring of coach Cameron Ciraldo gave fans reason to believe.
As for North Queensland, having fallen just one game short of the grand final last season, it was expected that another year of experience could see Todd Payten's side go one better.
It's too early to put a line through either team so far but it's also just incredibly hard to get a read on both the Bulldogs and Cowboys as the competition enters April.
The Bulldogs flashed their enormous potential in a comprehensive win over the Storm but last week's 16-14 loss to the Warriors showed there is also still plenty of room for improvement.
The Cowboys, meanwhile, snapped a two-game losing skid last week but were hardly convincing as they took advantage of a depleted Titans team 24-12.
In team news, fan favourite Josh Reynolds returns in his first game for the club in six years as the utility replaces Fa'amanu Brown (dislocated elbow) on the bench.
Meanwhile, Franklin Pele also joins the bench with Jayden Tanner pushing to the reserves but there is still no Tevita Pangai Junior, with the dynamic forward sidelined by a calf injury.
There are plenty of changes for North Queensland too, with winger Murray Taulagi (knee) and centre Gehamat Shibasaki (hamstring) both unavailable, causing a reshuffle.
It sees Peta Hiku return from suspension to fill the void left by Shibasaki while Brendan Elliott is the man to line up on the wing in Taulagi's place.
Jeremiah Nanai is also sidelined after being suspended for a dangerous throw, with Heilum Luki joining the starting side and Mitch Dunn coming onto the bench for his first game of the season.
Meanwhile, Riley Price - son of Queensland and Australian prop Steve and nephew of Cowboys great Brent Tate, makes his NRL debut off the bench.
Last meeting: Round 21 2022 - Bulldogs 14 Cowboys 28
Who to watch: After a relatively quiet outing against the Warriors, look for star Bulldogs recruit Viliame Kikau to really explode on the Bulldogs' left edge. How big a night Kikau has could depend on how North Queensland lines up on its right side, with Nanai and Shibasaki both unavailable and causing a reshuffle on that edge this weekend.
While both Hiku and Luki are both solid individual players, any indecisiveness in defence could see Bulldogs five-eighth Matt Burton capitalize by giving the hulking Kikau early ball. Kikau didn't have a single tackle bust last week but look for that to change on Sunday.
As for North Queensland, this is the sort of game where Chad Townsend's calming influence and leadership needs to come to the fore. The Cowboys halfback also plays on that new-look right edge and so it will be on him to get the attack rolling and try simplify the game a touch so as to not over-complicate things unnecessarily.
Otherwise, Payten's side risks gifting the Bulldogs field position like the Storm did earlier this season - and we all know how that ended. Burton and halves partner Kyle Flanagan are still finding their feet in the NRL and Townsend - and the Cowboys by extension - have a clear advantage there.
Favourite: Home ground advantage may be just enough to see the Bulldogs installed as slight favourites.
My tip: This is definitely a close one to call but the Cowboys' omissions will have a bigger impact and tip the scales in favour of the home side. Bulldogs by 8.
