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North Queensland Cowboys (W) v Parramatta Eels (W) Sunday 12:00pm at Totally Workwear Stadium, Coorparoo / Turrbal

The first of two games at Totally Workwear Stadium on Saturday sees the North Queensland Cowboys come up against a vastly improved Parramatta Eels.

Both teams had nail-biting games in round two, with the Cowboys on the right end of a 38-34 win against the St George Illawarra Dragons while Parramatta went down after a last gasp try to Cronulla sealed an 18-16 loss. 

It was a complete attacking turnaround for the Cowboys last week,having not scored a point in week one against the Cronulla Sharks. Doubles to Tiana Raftstrand-Smith and Jakiya Whitfield secured the Cowboys their first win of the season, scoring seven tries in a brilliant attacking display. Aided by 181 running metres from Bree Chester and 125 metres off the bench from Lily peacock to go with seven tackle breaks, the Cowboys looked a side that could trouble most teams from all over the park. The one concerning point for the Cowboys is their ill-discipline, conceding 11 penalties last week to go with seven from round one. It will be something that coach Ricky Henry will look to focus on this week, as they come up against a Parramatta side who have come on in leaps and bounds so far in 2024 across all parts of the game. The Cowboys have made one change to personnel, with Lillian Yarrow making her debut from the bench and Shaniah Power moving to 18th player. The Cowboys have also made a change in the backline, with Krystal Blackwell named to start at fullback while Francesca Goldthorp moves to the wing. 

The Eels were so close to causing a major boilover for the second week in a row, with a 64th minute try to Cronulla's Annessa Biddle getting the Sharks over the line last week. It was a case of Parramatta being superior in nearly every aspect bar the scoreboard after 70 minutes. The 2023 wooden spoon winners have already announced themselves as a threat this season, with the likes of Rory Owen and Elsie Albert proving tough to handle in attack  Defensively, the Eels have also improved out of sight, with their goal-line stands last week reminiscent of a side desperate to outdo themselves in 2024. Multiple try saving tackles, notably by Rachael Pearson late in last week's defeat had fans looking ahead to what could be a promising season ahead for the Blue and Gold. They'll need to replicate some of last week's tenacity on their own goal line against a Cowboys side who has shown that they can exploit any weakness in defense. Parramatta have named the same 17 that valiantly went down to Cronulla last week at Allianz Stadium.

Last meeting: Round 6 2023 - Eels 16 Cowboys 12

Who to watch: The aforementioned Elsie Albert has been fantastic for Parramatta in her two games this season. The PNG international has 13 tackle breaks already this season to go with an average of 120 running metres. A dominant prop who only knows how to go forward, she could be a huge problem for a Cowboys side who have only missed 34 tackles in the first two games. Expect to see plenty of Albert early with Kennedy Cherrington pushing up through the middle so the likes of Pearson and Rory Owen can exploit some tired middle forwards.

In a similar vein of form to Albert, Lily Peacock has been arguably the most impactful bench forward in the competition so far in 2024. Averaging over 140 metres per game across 54 minutes per game and at only 19 years of age, Peacock has a very promising future ahead of her. Must like Albert and Cherrington, watch for Peacock and Bree Chester to target the halves of the Eels close to the try line this weekend. 

MY TIP: Two teams coming into the game on two points, with both teams also having some pretty dire winning records since coming into the competition (Cowboys 3/11, Eels 6/23). While possibly too early to call this a must-win game, it seems to be a fight for half the competition to get the last spot in the top four. North Queensland have yet to put together a complete game, either not scoring points or allowing six tries in. While Parramatta have issues playing away from home, I have them on the right side of a thriller this week purely with their goal line defense being able to hold up a strong Cowboys attack. Eels by 4.

1. Krystal Blackwell 2. Francesca Goldthorp 3. Jakiya Whitfeld 4. Jasmine Peters 5. Ebony Raftstrand-Smith 6. Tahlulah Tillett 7. Kirra Dibb 8. Tallisha Harden 9. Emma Manzelmann 10. Essay Banu 11. China Polata 12. Tiana Raftstrand-Smith 13. Bree Chester 14. Alisha Foord 15. Lily Peacock 16. Sareka Mooka 17. Lillian Yarrow 18. Shaniah Power 19. Jetaya Faifua 20. Harata Butler 21. Libby Surha 22. Shellie Long

1. Abbi Church 2. Zali Fay 3. Rory Owen 4. Rosie Kelly 5. Monique Donovan 6. Cassey Tohi-Hiku 7. Rachael Pearson 8. Elsie Albert 9. Taneka Todhunter 10. Madeline Jones 11. Chloe Jackson 12. Mahalia Murphy 13. Kennedy Cherrington 14. Rosemarie Beckett 15. Tyla Amiatu 16. Jade Fonua 17. Ruby-Jean Kennard 18. Tafao Asaua 19. Breanna Eales

Referees: Daniel Luttringer; Sideline Officials: Rochelle Tamarua, Jack Klein; Video Referees: Chris Butler;