2021 NRL – North Queensland Cowboys vs Wests Tigers Preview & Prediction
THE FACTS
When is North Queensland Cowboys vs Wests Tigers taking place? Saturday 14th August, 2021 – 08:30 (UK)
Where is North Queensland Cowboys vs Wests Tigers taking place? Queensland Country Bank Stadium, Townsville
Where can I get tickets for North Queensland Cowboys vs Wests Tigers? Click here for ticket information on 2021 NRL matches
What channel is North Queensland Cowboys vs Wests Tigers on? Sky Sports Arena will be televising selected NRL games in the UK and you can find their schedule here. For Australian broadcasters, you can find a list here
Where can I stream North Queensland Cowboys vs Wests Tigers? If televised on Sky Sports, then subscribers will be able to stream the match live via Sky Go. Alternatively, the match will be available to subscribers of Watch NRL
THE TEAM NEWS
NORTH QUEENSLAND COWBOYS
Starting 13: Holmes, Feldt, Asi, Granville, Hampton, Drinkwater, Dearden, Molo, Robson, McLean, Condon, Luki, Hess – Interchanges: Gilbert, Nanai, Dunn, Neame – Reserves: Hola, Lemuelu, Wright, Moceidreke
Unavailable: Reuben Cotter (Injured), Javid Bowen (Injured), Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow (Injured), Kane Bradley (Injured), Lachlan Burr (Injured), Murray Taulagi (Injured), Jason Taumalolo (Injured)
- North Queensland Cowboys’ terrible run of form continued as they suffered an eighth consecutive defeat as well as losing their second Queensland derby in as many weeks with Gold Coast Titans getting the better of them last time out.
- The Cowboys have endured a poor season under new head coach Todd Payten and things could get worse before the end of the year after they lost key man Jason Taumalolo to a hand injury last week while Murray Taulagi’s absence has forced a backline reshuffle.
WESTS TIGERS
Starting 13: Mbye, Nofoaluma, Talau, Chee-Kam, Maumalo, Doueihi, Brooks, Utoikamanu, Liddle, Tamou, Blore, L. Leilua, Mikaele – Interchanges: Ofahengaue, Tuilagi, Twal, Cini – Reserves: Simpkin, Simpkins, Madden, Roberts
Unavailable: Russell Packer (Injured), Asu Kepaoa (Injured), Luke Garner (Injured), Alex Seyfarth (Injured), Daine Laurie (Injured)
- Wests Tigers earned just their second victory in seven outings after overcoming bottom of the ladder Canterbury Bulldogs last week and they will hope to back that up with another success here.
- Wests’ consistency has been an issue all year but they could still wrap their campaign up on a high note, starting with this clash against another struggling team in North Queensland Cowboys with the Tigers winning four of the last five meetings between the pair.
THE PREDICTION
North Queensland Cowboys and Wests Tigers have both underwhelmed this
season and while it is too late for either side to right the wrongs of
their respective campaigns, they can still end positively. For the
Cowboys, they will be desperate to end their eight-match losing run
while the Tigers will be hoping to string a couple of wins together as
they aim to finish with some consistency in their performances and
ultimately, results. Wests did what was required to overcome Canterbury
Bulldogs last week and while they are difficult to trust to win
back-to-back matches based on how they have performed this year, they
should be able to overcome a Cowboys side that looks short on quality.
