· Tom
2018 NRL – North Queensland Cowboys vs Penrith Panthers Preview
AT A GLANCE
When? Thursday 29th March, 10:05 (UK)
Where? 1300SMILES Stadium
What channel is it on? UK - Sky Sports Arena Australia -Nine Network, Foxtel, LIVE PASS
Where can I stream the match? UK - Sky Sports subscribers can stream the match online via Sky Go Australia - https://www.telstra.com.au/tv-...
Are tickets still available? https://www.cowboys.com.au/gam...
THE STATISTICS
THE LOWDOWN
COWBOYS
Head Coach: Paul Green
Starting 13: Hampton, Feldt, O'Neill, Bowen, Winterstein, Morgan, Thurston, Scott, Granville, McLean, Cooper, Hess, Taumalolo – Interchanges: Martin, Asiata, Bolton, Lowe – Reserves: Jensen, Coote
Unavailable: Josh Chudleigh, Shaun Fensom, Kane Linnett
- North Queensland fell to defeat against Melbourne in a rematch of last season’s Grand Final. The Cowboys played their part in a good contest but two late Storm tries gave the scoreline a one-sided look as they ran out 30-14 winners.
- Paul Green has named an unchanged 17 from last week’s defeat but the good news for the head coach is that fullback Lachlan Coote is nearing a return from injury. He’ll line up in reserve grade this week as he ups his bid to regain match fitness.
- Both teams were evenly matched in many facets last week but one big difference between the Cowboys and Storm came in the missed tackles count. The Cowboys missed 20 more tackles than their opponents and will have to improve on their 39 misses this week.
PANTHERS
Head Coach: Anthony Griffin
Starting 13: Edwards, Mansour, Blake, Whare, Critchon, Peachey, Maloney, Tamou, Wallace, Campbell-Gillard, Kikau, Yeo, Merrin – Interchanges: Luai, Harawira-Naera, Leota, Fisher-Harris - Reserves: Egan, Lui-Toso
Unavailable: Tyrone Phillips, Tyrone May, Tim Browne, Sam McKendry, Dallin Watene-Zelezniak, Nathan Cleary
- For the third consecutive time at the start of this season, Penrith went 14-0 down in a game. However, unlike the first two games, they were unable to come back and win this one with the Panthers losing 20-18 to Canterbury.
- To compound the loss, halfback Nathan Cleary didn’t come back on for the second half and could miss up to 10 weeks with a knee injury. Tyrone Peachey comes into the halves in his place with Jarome Luai promoted to the bench.
- Penrith had 59% of possession against Canterbury yet lost by two points. This is an indication of poor execution at the end of their sets and is something that will be a concern with Cleary’s injury.
THE PREDICTION
North Queensland Cowboys return home following a tough trip to Melbourne last week and host a Penrith side that will have to make do without Origin hopeful Nathan Cleary. The halfback went down with a knee injury last week and is set for an extended spell on the sidelines. After some poor execution last week, it may be a struggle for the Panthers and especially in this first game without him. The Cowboys were right in the game until the final 10 minutes last week and will fancy their chances of an immediate response to that loss with a win on home soil.
