Round 1: COWBOYS vs RAIDERS

[DIEHARD]

Sat 8 Mar 2014, 8:00pm (local), 1300 Smiles Stadium



1. Michael Morgan
2. Kyle Feldt
3. Brent Tate
4. Kane Linnett
5. Antonio Winterstein
6. Johnathan Thurston (c)
7. Robert Lui
8. Matt Scott (c)
9. Ray Thompson
10. James Tamou
11. Gavin Cooper
12. Jason Taumalolo
13. Joel Riethmuller

Interchange:
14. Rory Kostjasyn
15. Tariq Sims
16. Glenn Hall
17. Scott Bolton
18. Ashton Sims
19. Zac Santo



1. Anthony Milford
2. Reece Robinson
3. Jarrod Croker
4. Matt Allwood
5. Edrick Lee
6. Jack Wighton
7. Terry Campese (C)
8. Dane Tilse
9. Glen Buttriss
10. Brett White
11. Josh Papalii
12. Joel Edwards
13. Shaun Fensom

Interchange:
14. Josh McCrone
15. Jarrad Kennedy
16. Paul Vaughan
17. Shannon Boyd
18. Mark Nicholls

[DIEHARD]

Let's hope the Cowboys victory at the Nines helps boost their crowds which need a kick along over the last couple of years.

[TITAN PETE]

Let's hope the Cowboys victory at the Nines helps boost their crowds which need a kick along over the last couple of years.

They will start strong, will good to see if their defensive attitude keeps going as that's what Green has been known for.

[DIEHARD]

Cowboys complete perfect NRL pre-season

North Queensland's perfect pre-season is complete with the Cowboys beating Gold Coast 28-12 on Saturday night in front of a packed house in Toowoomba.

The Auckland Nines champions welcomed back World Cup stars Johnathan Thurston, Matt Scott and Brent Tate, but all the focus was on who would win the coveted fullback jersey left vacant by Matt Bowen (Wigan).

With Lachlan Coote cut down with an ACL injury from the Nines tournament, the Cowboys packed four fullbacks into their trial squad.

But Zac Santo, Javid Bowen and Matthew Wright struggled to find minutes with Michael Morgan impressing so much that he didn't leave the field until the 59th minute before returning to score the match-winning try.

Morgan's first involvement was outstanding, tested with a high ball and promptly smashed into the turf when he gathered it in, he sprung from the turf and put a fend on Brad Tighe to dash 40m upfield.

He was then involved in a slick left-side play, with winger Antonio Winterstein coming close to opening the scoring, before a dusty Thurston cross-field kick was batted back by fellow Cowboys winger Kyle Feldt for Tariq Sims to score.

Santo also pressed his claims, solid under the high ball and throwing a superb long pass to put Winterstein over in the corner in the 67th minute.

Queensland and Australian prop Scott also impressed, playing big minutes in his first match of the year while Thurston ultimately warmed up with a hand in three tries and four conversions.

Paul Carter was busy at hooker for Gold Coast, the son of former Penrith great Steve putting a case forward for round-one inclusion.

First-choice Titans rake Matt Srama (shoulder) and Beau Falloon (hamstring) sat out the trial.

Carter, 21, set up the first Gold Coast try when he took on the line in the 21st minute, sucked in three defenders and popped a clever offload to put Greg Bird in beside the sticks.

Sam Irwin also played well at hooker in his return from an ankle injury.

Coach John Cartwright tried a range of centre and wing combinations following the off-season departure of Jamal Idris (Penrith), with former Cowboy Kalifa Fai Fai Loa a late inclusion with recruits Maurice Blair (Melbourne) and Brad Tighe (Panthers).

The Titans bombed three genuine opportunities, halfback Albert Kelly twice spilling the ball with the line in sight.

Jason Taumalolo helped the North Queenslanders to a halftime lead, latching onto a Thurston short ball to crash through the line and run 20m to score.

Glenn Hall extended the lead in the 47th minute, his converted try pushing the score out to 16-6.

Mark Ioane edged the Titans back to within four points in the 51st minute, crashing in under the posts for a converted try. But Winterstein answered with his late try, converted from the sideline by Thurston.

Titans coach John Cartwright wasn't concerned with the loss, after running 24 players through their paces in the "tough hitout".

A decision on who will line up in the backline and where is still unsettled.

"There's three or four guys there shooting for a spot," Cartwright said. "We'll make a decision on that next week."

But it appears certain that Carter has secured a bench spot at the minimum after his willing performance.

"He was very strong, he was strong through the trials and he was really hard to handle tonight.

"He covers a few spots there, he covers hooker and he covers back-row so he's going to be a handy player for us," Cartwright said.

While the Morgan experiment paid dividends for new North Queensland coach Paul Green, Santo was also strong and second-rowers Tariq Sims and Jason Taumalolo punched holes on the fringes at will, giving him plenty to think about before the Cowboys' round-one clash with Canberra.

"Right across the team, I've got quite a few selection headaches," Green said. "But they're good problems to have.

"(Morgan and Santo) both went really well.

"If anything, it has made the decision hard for me."

There were no injuries for either side coming out of the match.

http://wwos.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=8804089

[DIEHARD]

Raiders: 1. Anthony Milford 2. Reece Robinson 3. Jarrod Croker 4. Matt Allwood 5. Edrick Lee 6. Jack Wighton 7. Terry Campese (C) 8. Dane Tilse 9. Glen Buttriss 10. Brett White 11. Josh Papalii 12. Joel Edwards 13. Shaun Fensom

Interchange: 14. Josh McCrone 15. Jarrad Kennedy 16. Paul Vaughan 17. Shannon Boyd 18. Mark Nicholls

[DIEHARD]

I like Canberra but let the Ricky Stuart deathride begin!

[DIEHARD]

Cowboys: 1. Michael Morgan 2. Kyle Feldt 3. Brent Tate 4. Kane Linnett 5. Antonio Winterstein 6. Johnathan Thurston (c) 7. Robert Lui 8. Matt Scott (c) 9. Ray Thompson 10. James Tamou 11. Gavin Cooper 12. Jason Taumalolo 13. Joel Riethmuller

Interchange: 14. Rory Kostjasyn 15. Tariq Sims 16. Glenn Hall 17. Scott Bolton 18. Ashton Sims 19. Zac Santo

[TITAN PETE]

Cowboys v Raiders preview
By Tony Webeck, Chief Queensland Correspondent
NRL.com
3:23pm Wed 05th March, 2014




Cowboys v Raiders
1300SMILES Stadium
Saturday 8pm (local)

Two new coaches, two vastly different rosters and expectations at either end of the spectrum make for a fascinating first hit-out for the Cowboys and Raiders.

Since arriving at Townsville on the back of two Intrust Super Cup titles and an NRL premiership as an assistant at the Roosters, new Cowboys mentor Paul Green has barely put a foot wrong. Two impressive trial performances book-ended the club's first piece of significant silverware – the inaugural Auckland Nines – and despite limited time with his World Cup stars over the pre-season he appears to have ingrained a harder edge to the Cowboys' normally free-flowing style of play.

The long-term injury to Lachlan Coote suffered at the Nines threatened to derail the new spine before it had even been set but then Green gave Michael Morgan a shot at fullback in the final trial and stumbled upon the perfect solution.

Twelve months after starting the season as one of the competition elects and then subsequently losing nine of their first 13 games, Green is endeavouring to show his players what it takes to win on a consistent basis and make good on the promises their talent should be able to deliver.

Adding further intrigue to the contest is the newest addition to Green's coaching staff, assistant coach David Furner, who will be able to impart intimate knowledge on the inner workings of the boys from Canberra.

Of course, things look different in the nation's capital also with Ricky Stuart returning to the lime green to try to restore order to a club that was beset by on and off-field dramas throughout 2013.

Infamous rooftop buddies Josh Dugan and Blake Ferguson were both jettisoned before the end of the season while the club had to fight tooth and nail to get one more year out of Anthony Milford before he is due to join the Broncos.

But it is a much happier Canberra camp that starts the 2014 season and with the blend of exciting talents in Milford, Josh Papalii, Jack Wighton and Edrick Lee, tough older heads up front and Terry Campese finally ready to start a season injury-free, Stuart has the tools to extract a year that finishes in finals football from his men.

Watch Out Cowboys: Plenty of questions will be asked regarding the character of Anthony Milford dependent upon how he approaches what is supposed to be his final year at Canberra. Will he light up the NRL and repay the faith shown in a club that signed him as a 16-year-old or be distracted by a future that lies north of the border?

We'll get out first indicator on Saturday night and it could be the Cowboys who must deal with the consequences. In 18 top grade games last year Milford scored nine tries and made 12 line breaks and took that form to the World Cup with Samoa where he had 30 tackle breaks, five line breaks and 11 offloads, as well as scoring one of the tries of the tournament.

Wherever he pops up on the field, it will be a genuine test of the Cowboys' new defenseive structures.


Watch Out Raiders: It won't matter whether they look left or right, the Raiders are going to have a hard time keeping their edge defence in one piece with Tariq Sims and Jason Taumalolo ready to cut loose.

Although Green has the experience of Gavin Cooper and Glenn Hall to call on in the back row, the pre-season form of both Sims and Taumalolo makes their claims for a starting spot almost undeniable. After a stop-start beginning to his NRL career, Taumalolo appears ready to make good on his enormous potential despite the fact he is not due to turn 21 until May 30. He was a one-man wrecking machine in their trial win over the Broncos and scored a try from a deft Johnathan Thurston short ball against the Titans.

A World Cup with his brothers, Ashton and Korbin, and an injury-free pre-season has Tariq Sims poised to push for an Origin debut in 2014 after two outstanding trial performances and playing a key role in the Cowboys' Nines victory.

It has the potential to be a one-two punch unmatched in the NRL.

Plays To Watch: The plays in which they structure around the powerful edge runners on both sides; Papalii for the Raiders and Sims and Taumalolo for the Cowboys. When Thurston went to the line and passed short for Taumalolo the Titans barely got a hand on him while the threat of Papalii on the right will be enhanced by the presence of Milford sweeping around the back. Expect the playmakers from both sides to go short early and test the defence but the set plays they have out the back as options later in the game will determine who makes the greatest inroads.

Where It Will Be Won: Despite their differing positions on the final ladder last year, little separated these two in many of the key defensive statistics, except one: the Cowboys conceded 18 points per game while the Raiders leaked 26. The Cowboys proved by shutting out the Warriors in their Auckland Nines semi-final win that Green's work at the defensive end is paying immediate dividends while conceding 34 points against the Knights in Tamworth was a sign there is more work to be done by Stuart's green machine.

Expect to see a much more composed and controlled Cowboys outfit in 2014 and Green will be desperate to see it start with an exemplary defensive display in Round 1.

The History: Played 32; Cowboys 13, Raiders 19. Prior to their Round 17 win last year, the Raiders had lost nine of their previous 11 meetings with the Cowboys. The Raiders have not beaten the Cowboys in Townsville since a Todd Carney field goal gave Canberra a 15-14 victory in Round 12, 2006.

What Are The Odds: No takers for the Raiders who at $3.50 with Sportsbet.com.au are at the biggest odds of any side to win in Round 1. Cowboys have been heavily backed into $1.30.

Match Officials: Referees – Gavin Badger & Brett Suttor; Sideline Officials – Dan Eastwood & Peter Gough; Video Referees – Bernard Sutton & Paul Mellor.

Televised: Fox Sports – Live 9pm (AEDT).

The Way We See It: At home in 30-degree temperatures and with an almost perfect pre-season build-up under their belts, it is hard to see anything but a Cowboys victory. With David Shillington injured Canberra are missing some firepower up front to match Test front-rowers Matt Scott and James Tamou and all indications are that Johnathan Thurston is ready to carry his World Cup form into 2014. Cowboys by 16 points.

[DIEHARD]

OK let's go with the 5th game of the round. Go the Cowboys!

[Toads]

Have the Donkeys secured Milford's services for 2015 'n beyond yet?

[DIEHARD]

I'm not sure actually.

[DIEHARD]

Raiders up 16-0.

In other news the Cowboys jersey looks fantastic in action. I wasn't sold on it.

[DIEHARD]

Thurston with a quick tap, dummy close to the line, and scores. 65m move. Lovely.

Now 16-10 Raiders.

[DIEHARD]

Linnett looked to have scored but lost it.

Also can we ban the world bobble from an RL telecast? Gus has alot to answer for...

[DIEHARD]

Cooper scores, Cowboys here they come.