Top six battle awaits the Warriors and Cowboys

Warriors v North Queensland Cowboys Saturday 5:30pm at Suncorp Stadium, Milton / Yuggera-Turrbal

The middle game of Saturday's magic round action sees a top six battle as the Warriors take on the North Queensland Cowboys at Suncorp Stadium.

Sitting in fourth spot on the NRL ladder, the New Zealand Warriors have been quiet achievers so far in 2025 as they have picked up some big wins this season and only losing two games from their seven so far this season.

Last weekend, the Warriors picked up another healthy win in Christchurch when they had a 26-12 win over the Knights. The Warriors were clinical in the first half opening up a 16-0 lead although both sides had 2 tries awarded but were overturned by the bunker. The Warriors though didn't have a fully clinical second half but they were still good enough with the woes of the Knights.

A settled team will help the Warriors this week with just the one change coming for the New Zealanders with Andrew Webster naming Te Maire Martin on the bench after Jacob Laban failed his HIA last week and is under the 11-day stand down procedures.

After starting the season slowly, the North Queensland Cowboys have quickly found form with four wins in a row after starting off with a 0-3 record to put themselves into sixth spot after their winning streak.
Last week, was a topsy-turvy performance for the Cowboys as they trailed 18-6 at one point and 18-12 at Half Time. The second half though was almost perfect for the Townsville side as they ran in 38 unanswered points in forty minutes to run out very impressive 50-18 winners over th Gold Coast Titans.

There are no changes to the 17 that took the field last week with Harrison Edwards named in the 15 jersey after being a late addition to the bench for the clash last week.

Last meeting: Round 14 2024 - Cowboys 12 Warriors 42

Who to watch: Luke Metcalf became an internet sensation after the Warriors golden point win against the Broncos but his form has made him the attention of the Warriors good form this season. The control and poise Metcalf has had has been good for the New Zealand side after a history of some erratic and inconsistent form. The "hosts" will be needing the same level of calmness from Metcalf for another win.

It was an almost career best game for Cowboys halfback Tom Dearden last week as he ran for over 200m last week in an impressive performance. The form of Dearden will be important as the Cowboys will need him to perform and control the game especially against a Warriors side that can be both hot and cold in the same match.

The favourite: The Cowboys are slight favourites for the contest

My tip: 

This is a game that could be a flip of the coin. Both teams have strong assets that can put them ahead but there are chinks in the armour that could be exploited. The Cowboys feel that little bit more polished but this is a game that I don't want to tip with any confidence at all but I think they can win it. Cowboys by 6.

1. Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad 2. Taine Tuaupiki 3. Rocco Berry 4. Ali Leiataua 5. Adam Pompey 6. Chanel Harris-Tavita 7. Luke Metcalf 8. Marata Niukore 9. Wayde Egan 10. Mitchell Barnett 11. Kurt Capewell 12. Leka Halasima 13. Erin Clark 14. Te Maire Martin 15. Jackson Ford 16. Demitric Vaimauga 17. Bunty Afoa 18. Tanner Stowers-Smith 20. Samuel Healey 21. Tanah Boyd 22. Eddie Ieremia 23. Edward Kosi

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. Harrison Edwards 16. Griffin Neame 17. Coen Hess 18. Zac Laybutt 19. Karl Lawton 20. Kai O'Donnell 21. Kaiden Lahrs 22. Thomas Mikaele

Referees: Adam Gee; Sideline Officials: Chris Sutton; Video Referees: Chris Butler;