Wests Tigers v Cowboys preview

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Wests Tigers v North Queensland Cowboys Thursday 7:50pm at Leichhardt Oval, Lilyfield / Wanngal

Thursday night, see all eyes on Leichhardt Oval as round 22 kicks off at the 8th wonder of the world. Wests Tigers will be looking to break their losing streak, while the North Queensland Cowboys are keen to flex their current form and stay in the top eight.

While it continues to be a tough season for the Tigers, they will garner some inspiration knowing they have won three of their past four games at Leicharrdt. 

The club will be keen to latch onto anything that might give them an advantage and stop them from making it six losses in a row. The last round saw the New Zealand Warriors take the Tigers to the sword 29-16. But it was a gutsy effort from the Tigers, according to coach Benji Marshall. Benji said that the team could have given up at halftime with a scoreline of 14-0. But the team decided to stand for something and fight for it, said Marshall. Returning to 14-10 at one stage, it was only having 40% possession at the start and having to defend the line that took the wind out of their sails towards the end. And it was that lack of steam that allowed the Warriors to get a try with 10 minutes to go off the back of a barnstorming Addin Founa-Blake. 

The loss puts the Tigers squarely in the crosshairs of a third consecutive wooden spoon. Marshall said the stats of them missing 40 tackles did not reflect the pressure he felt his team was applying from the marker's defence. As true as this might be, any pressure the Tigers were applying failed to help them back up their kicking game, which was helping them get field position.

Justin Olam returns from a knee injury, which is timely due to Starford T'oa being out with a hamstring issue. David Klemmer returns from an ankle problem, while quiet achiever Fonua Pole is out with a rib injury. The club has rested Adam Doueihi.

The Cowboys are travelling off a good win over the Cronulla Sharks 30-22. Coach Todd Payten said it was a gritty victory that showed depth off the bench as he lost Rueben Cotter to a jaw injury and Jason Taumololo to a cheekbone injury. 

Even though the last two games between the teams have gone the way of the Cowboys, Payten is under no illusion that the Tigers are a different team when playing at Leichhardt. Believing they can easily put on 10-12 more points by playing on the hallowed turf than any other ground. 

With Jason Taumalolo out with a cheekbone injury, Sam McIntyre will take his place. Heilum Luki returns to the run-on side after overcoming a hamstring problem. Reuben Cotter will be rested after a hit to his jaw in the last round, which ended his game early.

Last meeting: Round 12 2024 - Cowboys 42 Wests Tigers 28

Who to watch: 

Api Koroisau will be instrumental in giving the Tigers any chance at an upset come Thursday night. He was adamant that if they were to win, they would have to complete the sets and ensure the ball stayed down in the corners of the opposition. And with Api's boot, this is something that is doable. Justin Olam has always had the reputation of being a strike player and will have to show this on Thursday. As one of the older, more experienced players in the team, he has the ability to inspire from a run or a big hit; we can only hope his return means he is 100% ready to rock. David Klemmer is another old head who has the power to inspire, and he will have a chance to do so with some of the main Cowboys strike forwards having a rest this round. The young guns of Lachlan Galvin and Jahream Bula have been the ones to inspire, and this round will also hopefully be the one to finish off some of the exciting plays they are capable of.

Scott Drinkwater loves to get his hands on the ball, and when he does, there is a good chance he will be setting someone up for a try. Drinkwater is right up there in the premiership for kick return meters and has proven to take elusive lines in attack. Dearden will use his size and pass to engage the line and will likely find Scott Drinkwater in support. Kyle Feldt has been enjoying some good form and is a shoo-in for scoring a try in this game. Feldt does love to push up in defence and has been known to turn that into an attack via an intercept or three this year. Chad Townsend's kicking game will be vital; he kicked over 500m in the last round; watch for him to achieve field position for his team via the boot. The Cowboys have enough ‘go forward' to cause the Wests' defensive line headaches, with players like Griffin Neame coming off the bench last game with 19 runs for 177m.

The favourite: Confidence at the Tigers is low, and with their Origin class forward Stefano Utoikamanu calling it quits at the end of this year; it's just more destabilising news that's going to keep the odds against them.

My tip: The Cowboys are hitting for at the right time; the team has depth in the forward pack, and their starbacks are hungry for points. Cowboys to rope up the struggling Tigers. North Queensland by 10.

1. Jahream Bula 2. Solomon Alaimalo 3. Solomona Faataape 4. Justin Olam 5. Charlie Staines 6. Lachlan Galvin 7. Latu Fainu 8. Stefano Utoikamanu 9. Apisai Koroisau 10. David Klemmer 11. Reuben Porter 12. Samuela Fainu 13. Isaiah Papali'i 14. Tallyn Da Silva 15. Alex Seyfarth 17. Alex Twal 22. Tim Johannssen 18. Heath Mason

1. Scott Drinkwater 2. Kyle Feldt 3. Valentine Holmes 4. Viliami Vailea 5. Murray Taulagi 6. Tom Dearden 7. Chad Townsend 8. Jordan McLean 9. Reece Robson 17. Griffin Neame 11. Heilum Luki 12. Jeremiah Nanai 14. Harrison Edwards 10. Sam McIntyre 13. Thomas Mikaele 15. Jake Granville 16. Kulikefu Finefeuiaki 18. Jaxon Purdue

Referees: Chris Butler; Sideline Officials: Chris Sutton, Drew Oultram; Video Referees: Ashley Klein;