First up on Friday night football in round 23 is the Cowboys (2nd) hosting the Warriors (13th). Whilst the Cowboys are battling towards the finals with a top 4 spot that is theirs for the taking, the Warriors surely now have one eye on the off season, after an impressive 42-18-win last week over the Bulldogs. The Cowboys will try and bounce back after a poor 32-18 last up loss to the Roosters.
With the bookies pricing this up as a lopsided encounter, we will try and find some value to kick start the weekend. Check out our NRL tips for the match below!
North Queensland Cowboys vs New Zealand Warriors Betting Tips
Queensland Country Bank Stadium, Friday 19th August, 6:00pm (AEST)
Squads
North Queensland Cowboys
1. Scott Drinkwater 2. Kyle Feldt 3. Valentine Holmes 4. Peta Hiku 5. Murray Taulagi 6. Tom Dearden 7. Chad Townsend 8. Jordan McLean 9. Reece Robson 10. Reuben Cotter 11. Tom Gilbert 12. Jeremiah Nanai 13. Jason Taumalolo. INTERCHANGE: 14. Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow 15. Luciano Leilua 16. Coen Hess 17. Griffin Neame. RESERVES: 18. Jamayne Taunoa-Brown 19. Ben Hampton 20. Jake Granville 21. Brendan Elliot 22. Connelly Lemuelu
New Zealand Warriors
1. Reece Walsh 2. Dallin Watene-Zelezniak 3. Viliami Vailea 4. Marcelo Montoya 5. Edward Kosi 6. Daejarn Asi 7. Shaun Johnson 8. Addin Fonua-Blake 9. Wayde Egan 10. Tohu Harris 11. Euan Aitken 12. Jack Murchie 13. Bunty Afoa. INTERCHANGE: 14. Freddy Lussick 15. Tom Ale 16. Eliesa Katoa 17. Josh Curran. RESERVES: 18. Chanel Harris-Tavita 20. Dunamis Lui 21. Jackson Frei 22. Adam Pompey 23. Rocco Berry
Match Preview
The back end of the season has seen a tale of two Warriors teams. Since their return to Mt Smart Stadium in round 16, they have home wins over the Tigers (22-2), and Bulldogs (42-18), whilst losing a competitive match at home to the Storm (24-12). Meanwhile, their away form has been quite different. They lost to the Eels (28-18), with a score line that flattered the Warriors, 26-14 to the Raiders (conceding 26-straight points) and a 48-10 shellacking at the hands of the Rabbitohs.
The Cowboys are in a similar position. They’ve looked good in games, and horrible in others since their round 17 bye, and after a loss to a fellow finals team last week, they will be desperate to get their run to the finals back on track. With games ahead against the Rabbitohs (A) and Panthers (H), they are at danger of slipping down the table without a win here. Payten will have his team ready to go, and the Warriors may struggle to get up for this early clash in Queensland.
These two teams have played once this season, all the way back in round 5, with the Warriors winning 25-24 in golden point. This dropped the Cowboys to a record of 2-3, whilst the Warriors stood at 3-2. A lot has changed for both teams since this clash, so I take little from it.
There are no significant changes to either team, with the Cowboys welcoming back Kyle Feldt to the starting side the only change.
The market is now very efficient, and the numbers stack up pretty much spot on with mine, so a more subjective handicap is required for this match up. The travel disadvantage for the Warriors is significant, and I believe the Cowboys need a big win in front of their home fans this week. I trust them to get the job done comfortably, however the stakes will be low as the market numbers are good, and my record the last few weeks has been poor.
Props: Warriors TT under 16.5 - $1.84 @ Topsport
Kyle Feldt / Edward Kosi / Valentine Holmes (anytime try scorers) - $9.50 @ Bet365
Cowboys -19.5
$2 (1 Unit)
