Round 18: Cowboys v Sea Eagles preview
Two points for the taking in Townsville
One point is all that separates the North Queensland Cowboys and Manly Sea Eagles on the premiership ladder as the two teams prepare to face off in Townsville on Saturday night.
Returning home with high spirits after an upset win over the defending premiers last week, the North Queensland Cowboys will welcome six representative stars back into their line-up.
Stunning Penrith 16-6 at the foot of the mountains last Sunday, coach Todd Payten has opted for greater mobility on the bench with mid-season recruit Harrison Edwards preferred over Thomas Mikaele.
The Cowboys have won eight of their 14 meetings against the Sea Eagles over the past decade and will be hoping to post three straight victories for the first time since 2016.
Surging into the top eight off the back of five wins from their past six matches, the Cowboys have accrued nine wins - with two byes still in hand - and six of their final eight matches scheduled on home soil.
Heading to Townsville refreshed following their second bye of the season, the Manly Sea Eagles will be boosted by the return of strike weapon Tom Trbojevic in an uncustomary position at club level.
Coach Anthony Seibold has selected Trbojevic, the 2021 Dally M Player of the Year, at centre in a backline reshuffle that sees Tolutau Koula shift to fullback and Lehi Hopoate drop to the bench.
Josh Aloiai, having completed a two-match suspension, will make his 150th appearance in first grade in the front-row.
The Sea Eagles hold a favourable record at all Townsville venues with eight wins from 16 visits during the 2000s and have won both of their prior visits to Queensland Country Bank Stadium in the pandemic-impacted years of 2020 and 2021.
Last meeting: Round 20 2023 - Sea Eagles 8 Cowboys 19
Who to watch: The value of an experienced halfback has never been more apparent and in Chad Townsend the Cowboys have a player capable of going deep into September.
Ranked third for try-assists (17) and leading the league in field goals (3), the 33-year-old playmaker has stood tall in the absence of his representative teammates to get the Cowboys home in matches few expected them to win.
Set to depart Townsville at season's end to return to Sydney, look for Townsend to be heavily involved as the Cowboys strive to back up the resolve shown last week.
The last time Tom Trbojevic lined up for Manly in the centres came just over eight years ago - incidentally against the Cowboys in North Queensland.
Regarded among the best attacking players of the modern era, the 27-year-old has been shifted from his preferred fullback role following two months on the sidelines with another hamstring injury.
Producing some of the finest work of his career as a centre on the representative stage, only time will tell whether the positional shift allows Trbojevic to remain injury-free or curtails his attacking prowess.
FAVOURITE: The Cowboys are expected to prove too strong for a Sea Eagles side that have managed just one win away from 4 Pines Park this season.
MY TIP: The Cowboys are in a position to finish in the top four and this is the type of game they will need to win if they hope to do so. Cowboys by 7.
