Round 4 COWBOYS V STORM

COWBOYS V STORM - MON MAR 30, 7:00PM (AEDT), 1300SMILES STADIUM

Cowboys
1 Lachlan Coote
2 Matthew Wright
3 Tautau Moga
4 Kane Linnett
5 Antonio Winterstein
6 Michael Morgan
7 Johnathan Thurston (c)
8 Matthew Scott (c)
9 Rory Kostjasyn
10 James Tamou
11 Gavin Cooper
12 Ethan Lowe
13 Jason Taumalolo

Interchange
14 Jake Granville
15 Kelepi Tanginoa
16 Scott Bolton
17 Ben Hannant
18 John Asiata

Coach: Paul Green



Storm
1 Billy Slater
2 Young Tonumaipea
3 Will Chambers
4 Kurt Mann
5 Marika Koroibete
6 Blake Green
7 Cooper Cronk
8 Jesse Bromwich
9 Cameron Smith (c)
10 Jordan McLean
11 Kevin Proctor
12 Tohu Harris
13 Dale Finucane

Interchange
14 Ryan Hinchcliffe
15 Tim Glasby
16 Dayne Weston
17 Felise Kaufusi
18 Tom Learoyd-Lahrs
19 Hymel Hunt

Coach: Craig Bellamy

North Queensland Cowboys v Melbourne Storm
1300SMILES Stadium
Monday 6pm (local)

Just like those kids who occasionally make the news for finding their way into one of those arcade claw machines, the Cowboys are stuck and don't exactly know what to do about it.

It was all fun and games in the pre-season, with 20-point wins and a fully fit roster chock-full of selection headaches ready for head coach Paul Green to attack with confidence and optimism.

Fast forward a month and those headaches are taking a different shape. Green is now thinking about which players he needs to cut and how that confidence can be restored before things start getting away.

North Queensland opened the turnstiles last week for Brisbane to pile on 44 points – the most they've conceded in a game since Melbourne put 58 points on them in June 2010 – while the Storm are going about their business of rolling end-of-season success into 2015.

If the Cowboys needed any extra motivation, they have it with winger Antonio Winterstein returning from personal leave following the death of his younger brother Francis. Matthew Wright joins him on the opposite wing, which pushes Justin O'Neill and Kyle Feldt out of the side.

Craig Bellamy's Storm will run on unchanged from last week.

Watch Out Cowboys: Any side with Kiwi international Jesse Bromwich up front is a formidable one. The 25-year-old is going from strength to strength, averaging 155 metres per game at 9.4 metres per carry; while fellow bookend Jordan McLean is becoming a force in his own right. After playing a bit-part role filling positional voids off the bench in 2014, McLean is managing a starter's workload this season and has already earned accolades as a player punching above his weight.

Who would have thought that a front-row partnership boasting 26 Test caps would have to watch its back in a club game? Such is the current form of internationals Matt Scott and James Tamou, they have been outmuscled by lesser packs on paper in all three games so far. The expectation from coach Green this week is for both to step up, win back the middle third and play bodyguard for the already banged-up Thurston. Scott has worn himself out quicker during games this season with increased defensive load, managing 20 fewer run metres per game and doubling his missed tackle count from last season. Tamou has run for 10 fewer metres and has had some howling misses of his own, letting slip both Ben Hunt and Josh McGuire on the goal line for Brisbane's opening two tries last week.

Watch Out Storm: It doesn't matter what year it is, the Cowboys will probably play the mystery card until they turn it on around the back end of Origin; who knows what we will get week-in, week-out until then. And that in itself poses a threat to the Storm. North Queensland have nothing working at the moment, so that spark of inspiration could come from any direction at any time. It all starts in the middle and they no doubt have a pack salivating at the chance to re-write headlines. The Cowboys have already proven that they can dominate when rolling the ruck this year, but untimely errors and penalties have killed off momentum in quick time. It is all about discipline for the home side and keeping the chin up during scoreless periods.

Key Match-Up: Rory Kostjasyn vs Cameron Smith. The Storm are tied for fourth in fewest points conceded this season (46) and are well on their way to becoming the stingy defensive unit of old. Smith is as good as any hooker in the NRL at directing his troops and controlling tempo, and it's up to former apprentice Kostjasyn to keep his side just as tight up the middle. On attack, the Cowboys' pack needs to start asserting dominance, and it starts with good direction out of dummy half.

The History: Played 27; Cowboys 8, Storm 19. In the midst of Melbourne's most injury-ravaged period in over a decade, North Queensland sauntered to a 22-0 win last time these two met. Wins have alternated over the last five games between the two, preceded by eight straight Storm wins dating back to 2006.

What Are The Odds: Cowboys $1.80 Storm $2.05. Punters have abandoned the Cowboys after two home defeats. More than three times the money has been invested on the Storm, who looked impressive against the Sharks last week. Marika Koroibete has been by far the best backed to score the first try of the game. Latest odds at Sportsbet.com.au

Match Officials: Referee: Ben Cummins. Assistant referee: Henry Perenara. Touch judges: Russell Turner & Adam Gee. Video referees: Jared Maxwell & Steve Folkes.

Televised: Fox Sports 1 – Live 6pm (AEST)

The Way We See It: The nine-day turnaround may have been a blessing for North Queensland, but what's certain is that with Penrith and Souths coming knocking over the next two weeks, the Cowboys will start to get very desperate very soon if they lose this. Bellamy has numerous players punching above their weight in the early season, and we are tipping that to continue. Storm by 4 points.

http://www.nrl.com/

James Tamou is pathetic even I would start Henderson over him...

The Cows are rubbish 16-4 Storm 5 out from halftime

17 all after the 80 minutes. :)

But the Storm usually come up with most golden point games. :(

Brilliant 2nd half from both JT's

You ****in' beauty! :p

Quote:

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Originally Posted by TITAN PETE

James Tamou is pathetic even I would start Henderson over him...

The Cows are rubbish 16-4 Storm 5 out from halftime

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I was thinking the same thing about Tamou at half time and wondering what fools would pick him up next year as he seems to be leaving the Cows. His second half as well as the other JT and Taumololo was terrific. At last a decent game.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Mexican titan

I was thinking the same thing about Tamou at half time and wondering what fools would pick him up next year as he seems to be leaving the Cows. His second half as well as the other JT and Taumololo was terrific. At last a decent game.

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I was never referring to Taumo but his 2nd half was good it was Taumalolo I was meaning he was on fire tonight

Quote:

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Originally Posted by TITAN PETE

I was never referring to Taumo but his 2nd half was good it was Taumalolo I was meaning he was on fire tonight

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Too many JT's!!

Cowboys finally show some 'ticker'

Tue 31 Mar, 2015, 6:36am
By Steven Ross, North Queensland Correspondent, NRL.com


A win is great, just ask Cowboys superstar Johnathan Thurston.

A single win in Round 4 will not dictate whether your team is in the top eight come September. A change in outlook can.

The Cowboys have been void of confidence for a large part of the season, and while they turned up for only 40 minutes of football against the Storm on Monday night, the second half was enough of an indication that they are up for the fight in 2015.

The signs were worrisome for North Queensland, down 16-4 with just over 20 minutes to go, and they looked headed for their first 0-4 start to a season since 2002.

Heads could have dropped numerous times in the second half after blown chances, but the Cowboys stuck to their guns and finally produced points in the 60th minute through Antonio Winterstein.

They would win dominant field position throughout the second half, but their attacking prowess was never really present apart from a beautifully crafted play for the final try.

It was that commitment in defence that Thurston has been looking for which set them apart from the team of previous weeks – just one field goal was all North Queensland allowed in the second 40 minutes.

"[Commitment] has been missing since the start [of this season]," Thurston said.

"We showed a bit of it last year obviously and it's been disappointing, the start to our year, the last couple of weeks when we've been in that situation we've been blown off the park so it's good that the boys have that bit of belief.

"We haven't played anywhere near our potential and it's good that we had that belief and showed a bit of ticker and fought 'til the end. When the game was on the line all our boys stood up right across the park and did their job. Great team effort."

Coach Paul Green was just as happy with his side's performance, saying the most pleasing thing was the way his side won.

The defensive line stood strong – namely James Tamou who has been publicly criticised for his inability to stick a tackle – with 10 less missed tackles than their season average, and the big names stepped up when they needed to.

"It is a relief, we've been under pressure there's no doubt about it. Everyone has got high expectations for the team, no one more than us and with each loss the confidence just chips away. So you just had to get back to believing that we're a good team," Green said.

"I don't know what next week's going to hold, she's a tough old competition this one, we've got to aim up against Penrith next week who are a quality side, but it would be really nice if we can build off the back of that because that was a really tough, character building win against a good team."

Good to see the Cowboys get on the board.