Matchday Details
Sunday March 22 – 6:15 PM (AEST) – Queensland Country Bank Stadium
📺 Broadcast: Fox League / Kayo
Referee: Peter Gough | Bunker: Liam Kennedy
North Queensland Cowboys
1. Scott Drinkwater 2. Braidon Burns 3. Jaxon Purdue 4. Tomas Chester 5. Murray Taulagi 6. Jake Clifford 7. Tom Dearden 8. Coen Hess 9. Reed Mahoney 10. Jason Taumalolo 11. Heilum Luki 12. Sam McIntyre 13. Reuben Cotter 14. Soni Luke 15. Kai O’Donnell 16. Griffin Neame 17. Harrison Edwards 18. Zac Laybutt 19. Liam Sutton 20. Kaiden Lahrs 21. Matthew Lodge 22. Ethan King
Gold Coast Titans
1. Keano Kini 2. Sialetili Faeamani 3. Jojo Fifita 4. Max Feagai 5. Phillip Sami 6. AJ Brimson 7. Lachlan Ilias 8. Moeaki Fotuaika 9. Sam Verrills 10. Tino Fa’asuamaleaui 11. Arama Hau 12. Beau Fermor 13. Chris Randall 14. Kurtis Morrin 15. Tukimihia Simpkins 16. Klese Haas 17. Cooper Bai 18. Oliver Pascoe 19. Jayden Campbell 20. Jaylan De Groot 21. Jett Liu 22. Josh Patston
Match Preview
Two Queensland rivals will be looking to lift themselves off the bottom of the ladder when the North Queensland Cowboys host the Gold Coast Titans on Sunday afternoon in Townsville.
Both sides have had a lacklustre start to the year, failing to jump out of the blocks and falling to two losses on the trot, and only one will avoid a dreaded three-peat of defeats to start the season.
In team list changes, Reuben Cotter returns for the Cowboys after missing last week’s defeat to the Tigers due to personal reasons, and will provide some much-needed defensive steel in the middle of the park. For the Titans, Jayden Campbell looms on the extended bench as a potential late inclusion; if he takes the field on Sunday, the visitors will feel much more confident about their chances to notch their first win of the season.
Two fan favourites of their respective clubs will look to stamp their mark on the game when livewire running halves Tom Dearden and AJ Brimson go head-to-head. The strength of Dearden’s running game is common knowledge around the league and constantly keeps edge defences on high alert. Brimson has developed the ability to find himself in open space from his time at fullback, and has kept the ability to blow a half-gap wide open with a burst of speed. Expect both halves to test the opposition’s defensive line on many occasions in this one.
Each side’s fullback brings a very different element to their side’s attack, but both play a pivotal role in their team’s chances of keeping the scoreboard ticking over. Scott Drinkwater brings an attacking flair that rivals the best of the ball-playing fullbacks in the league, and if ‘Drinky” can find his teammates in space, the Titans will be in a world of trouble.
On the flip side of the equation, Titans fullback Keano Kini bounces around the park like a pinball, and can catch any middles off-guard with his willingness to sniff around the middle of the park and latch on to an offload from one of his rampaging forwards. If the Titans’ big boppers can get the ball free, Kini can quickly turn a break into a try-scoring opportunity.
30-year-old Chris Randall gets the chance to bring up a milestone, lining up his 100th game in the NRL and his 71st as a member of the Titans. While it may have taken seven seasons for the lock-forward to notch the milestone, he has established himself as a key member of the Titans’ forward rotation.
Prediction
RLZ Tip: Titans by 6 points.
Bold call: Jayden Campbell to claim Man of the Match in his first game of the season.
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