North Queensland Cowboys v Gold Coast Titans
QLD Derby to set fortunes up for Cowboys and Titans
6 hours ago | Josh Robertson
QLD Derby to set fortunes up for Cowboys and Titans
A Saturday afternoon battle of Queensland heads to Townsville as the Cowboys take on the Gold Coast Titans at Queensland Country Bank Stadium.
Sitting in ninth spot on the NRL ladder, the North Queensland Cowboys are looking for their fourth straight win of the season with a 3-game winning streak coming against the Raiders, Panthers and Souths prior to the bye following their trip to Perth a fortnight ago.
The Cowboys haven't been able to blow their opponents away in any of their three victories with a 10-point win over Canberra, 4-point win over the Panthers and 8 points against Souths. The big thing for the North Queenslanders in this form reversal as been that things have finally clicked into gear for the Townsville based side and despite losing to the Broncos in the week prior to their three-game streak, the Cowboys performed well to show things might click and they have.
Team wise for the Cowboys, a boost for the North Queenslanders with John Bateman coming back into the side after missing the game in Perth with an infection. The other change for the Cowboys sees Jeremiah Nanai named back into the starting line-up with Kai O'Donnell and Sam McIntyre dropping to the bench with Harrison Edwards as 18th man.
The Gold Coast Titans sit in 13th spot on the NRL ladder and it's only through the benefit of having a bye that they sit above a side like Penrith who haven't had their bye. The Titans have had an inconsistent season with just two wins that came in back-to-back matches against the Knights and Roosters respectively, two sides that have also struggled in 2025.
Last week, the Titans showed glimpses of how good they can be as they were able to go 16-0 up early against Canberra before capitulating to a 30-20 defeat. The loss like that has shown how inconsistent the Gold Coast are given how they have been in games where they've won games impressively, been in games for part of the time and then put in performances that are absolutely dreadful.
The Titans have named David Fifita despite fears of a long-term hamstring injury that he suffered in last's week loss. The Gold Coast are welcoming back Alofiana Khan-Pereira from injury along with Brock Gray from suspension. Klese Haas & Iszac Fa'asuamaleaui drop off the bench with Haas out of the squad entirely.
Last meeting: Round 10 2024 - Titans 20 Cowboys 18
Who to watch: For the Cowboys, the performances of Jake Clifford have been impressive taking on the permanent role of the 7 jersey in Townsville. Clifford might not get the plaudits of other big name halves in the NRL, but he is one of the most consistent and that is taking the Cowboys up the ladder at the moment.
Meanwhile for the Titans going forward, the form of AJ Brimson will be key for the Titans especially after the loss of Jayden Campbell to a long-term injury. Brimson is an exciting player and could be in for an origin call-up later in the year. The Titans need Brimson at his absolute best if they want to pull off the upset on the Cowboys.
The favourite: The Cowboys are favourites
My tip:
It's hard to go past the Cowboys at home against the Titans. The consistency of North Queensland has been strong and I think on the paper they are a better side even though the game isn't on paper, I think the Titans just lack that punch that North Queensland can pack in the contest. Cowboys by 10.
1. Scott Drinkwater 2. Robert Derby 3. Jaxon Purdue 4. Viliami Vailea 5. Murray Taulagi 6. Tom Dearden 7. Jake Clifford 8. Jordan McLean 9. Reece Robson 10. Jason Taumalolo 11. John Bateman 12. Jeremiah Nanai 13. Reuben Cotter 14. Sam McIntyre 15. Kai O'Donnell 16. Griffin Neame 17. Coen Hess 18. Harrison Edwards 19. Zac Laybutt 20. Thomas Duffy 21. Karl Lawton 22. Thomas Mikaele
1. Jaylan De Groot 2. Alofiana Khan-Pereira 3. Brian Kelly 4. Phillip Sami 5. Jojo Fifita 6. AJ Brimson 7. Tom Weaver 8. Moeaki Fotuaika 9. Sam Verrills 10. Reagan Campbell-Gillard 11. Chris Randall 12. Beau Fermor 13. Tino Fa'asuamaleaui 14. David Fifita 15. Jaimin Jolliffe 16. Brock Gray 17. Arama Hau 18. Tony Francis 19. Iszac Fa'asumaleaui 20. Jacob Alick-Wiencke 21. Allan Fitzgibbon 22. Josiah Pahulu