NRL Match Preview: Raiders v Cowboys

Author: Patrick Gaynor
Timestamp: Wed 13 Apr 2022, 02:51 PM

The Raiders will return to Canberra to take on the North Queensland Cowboys at GIO Stadium this Thursday night in round six action.

The Raiders will be looking to continue their undefeated start to the season at GIO Stadium after winning both their games in Canberra against the Sharks and Titans.

Meanwhile this will be the first time the Cowboys have left Queensland in 2022 and they will be looking to bounce back after back-to-back losses.

Raiders captain Elliott Whitehead will play his 150th match for the club and will move to the second row with Ryan Sutton starting at lock.

Raiders v Cowboys Preview

Raiders young gun Xavier Savage will make his first appearance of the season off the bench in jersey 14.

Round 6 - Round 6 - Thursday 14 Apr

Full Time

Raiders

Cowboys

Team Lists

Backs

Fullback for Raiders is number 1 Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad

Fullback for Cowboys is number 1 Scott Drinkwater
Winger for Raiders is number 2 Nick Cotric

Winger for Cowboys is number 2 Kyle Feldt
Centre for Raiders is number 3 Matthew Timoko

Centre for Cowboys is number 3 Valentine Holmes
Centre for Raiders is number 4 Semi Valemei

Centre for Cowboys is number 4 Peta Hiku
Winger for Raiders is number 5 Jordan Rapana

Winger for Cowboys is number 5 Murray Taulagi
Five-Eighth for Raiders is number 6 Jack Wighton

Five-Eighth for Cowboys is number 6 Tom Dearden
Halfback for Raiders is number 7 Brad Schneider

Halfback for Cowboys is number 7 Chad Townsend

Forwards

Prop for Raiders is number 8 Josh Papali'i

Prop for Cowboys is number 10 Coen Hess
Hooker for Raiders is number 9 Tom Starling

Hooker for Cowboys is number 9 Reece Robson
Prop for Raiders is number 10 Joseph Tapine

Prop for Cowboys is number 16 Reuben Cotter
2nd Row for Raiders is number 11 Corey Harawira-Naera

2nd Row for Cowboys is number 12 Jeremiah Nanai
2nd Row for Raiders is number 12 Elliott Whitehead

2nd Row for Cowboys is number 15 Heilum Luki
Lock for Raiders is number 13 Ryan Sutton

Lock for Cowboys is number 13 Jason Taumalolo

Interchange

Interchange for Raiders is number 14 Xavier Savage

Interchange for Cowboys is number 8 Jordan McLean
Interchange for Raiders is number 15 Emre Guler

Interchange for Cowboys is number 11 Tom Gilbert
Interchange for Raiders is number 16 Adam Elliott

Interchange for Cowboys is number 14 Jake Granville
Interchange for Raiders is number 17 Corey Horsburgh

Interchange for Cowboys is number 17 Connelly Lemuelu

Reserves

Replacement for Raiders is number 18 Sebastian Kris

Replacement for Cowboys is number 23 Ben Hampton

Match Officials

Referee: Ashley Klein
Touch Judge: Jon Stone
Touch Judge: Drew Oultram
Senior Review Official: Grant Atkins

Last updated: 6/3/2024 4:46:55 AM

Last Time They Met

The Raiders suffered a disappointing 26-6 loss to the Cowboys in Townsville in round two earlier this season.

Key Match-Ups

Ryan Sutton vs Jason Taumalolo

Ryan Sutton will have a big task ahead of him come Thursday night when he marks up against one of the best forwards of the competition in Jason Taumalolo.

Sutton will make his second appearance of the season after playing his first game last week. Sutton was one of the green machines best players last season where he averaged 115 running metres and made 31 tackles per game.

Taumalolo has been near his best to start 2022. The Cowboys co-captain has averaged over 150 running metres a game and sits seventh in post contact metres in the competition despite his limited playing time.

It will be a big test for Sutton but if he can get the better of his opposing lock then the Raiders will be one step closer to being victorious.

Josh Papalii vs Jordan McLean

All attention will be focused on the battle in the middle when these two international front rowers clash on Thursday night.

Papalii has continued to prove how important he is to the green machine as he continues to average over 100 running metres a game. Papalii has also made an impact with his defence, making 124 tackles and missing just one all season giving him a tackle efficiency of 99.2%.

Meanwhile McLean has returned to the form that saw him get selected for the Australian Kangaroos in 2017, averaging 107 running metres a game to start the season.

This battle in the middle will go a long way in deciding the game on Thursday night so it's up to Papalii and McLean to dominate the other and earn their side the win.

Matthew Timoko vs Valentine Holmes

Timoko has proven to be one of the best young talents in the competition but he will not be taken lightly by the Queensland and Australian try-scoring machine, Valentine Holmes.

Timoko has been a handful for opposition sides, averaging 96 running metres and having 19 tackle breaks. The young gun centre has two tries to his name in 2022.

Meanwhile Holmes has relished his move to the centres where he has become one of the best players in that position. Holmes is running for over 140 metres a game while also scoring two tries this season.

It could be a moment of brilliance from one of these electrifying centres that decides the game on Thursday night.

Head to Head

Since 1998 the two sides are currently tied at 21 wins each out of the 42 meetings between the two teams, so whoever can get the victory on Thursday night will get the upper hand.