With five wins from their last six games and playing at home for the first time in three weeks, the Cowboys, as the line for the game of 30.5 suggested, were expected to give the hapless Sharks a hiding when the two sides met last Monday night.

After only two minutes it looked like that was going to be the case as the Cowboys crossed for the first try through winger Jason Taumalolo – the second week in a row he has been the first try-scorer and the third time in the past month the Cowboys have posted a try inside of the first five minutes, in just the second minute.

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However, the early start may have put the home-side in a false sense of security as from that point on, they found themselves in a arm-wrestle against a determined Sharks outfit who had the game tied deep into the final stages of the match.

Again it was Johnathan Thurston to the rescue, his two field-goals, the second of which came in Golden Point time, secured a 20 – 19 win for the Cowboys and moved them up into fifth spot.

The win might just serve as a timely reminder that the finals have yet to start and they’re still some regular business to take care of.

If the Cowboys can win here, and the Panthers lose to the Warriors, the Townsville side will find themselves in the top four – a remarkable effort given they won two of their first seven games this season.

For only the second time since round 19 the Sea Eagles hosted a home game last week, where they took on fellow top four side, the Panthers.

The Sea Eagles headed into the match needing a win to retain their spot at the top of the ladder but their position looked in severe jeopardy as they delivered a below par performance in the first 40 minutes, allowing the Panthers to take a 16 – 6 lead into the break.

To their credit, Manly hung in there in the second half and a try in the final minute of the game to Tom Symonds, his second for the game, gave the home-side a miraculous win.

It wasn’t a polished performance from the Sea Eagles and they came within a whisker of heading to Townsville this week with a record of three losses from their past four matches however, as Manly do more often than not, they found a way to win.

With the minor premiership theirs for a taking should they win here, expect Manly to show an improved effort this week.

The Sea Eagles highest score from their past six away games, of which they’ve won three of five, has been 22 points. The Cowboys average 30.6 when playing at home.

HEAD TO HEAD

The Cowboys have loss their last six straight to Manly, two of those games being played at Townsville.

When the two sides met back in round 7 this year at Gosford, Manly scraped home with a 26 – 21 win. It was the highest score the Cowboys have registered against Manly in six matches, suggesting the Sea Eagles limit Thurston’s involvement in the game well.

With a lot at stake for both teams, we should see another close game here with the home ground advantage to the Cowboys, combined with Manly’s average away record this season of 5 – 6, tipping this one in favour of the home-side.

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Nth Queensland Cowboys:
Michael Morgan, Kyle Feldt, Tautau Moga, Kane Linnett, Antonio Winterstein, Robert Lui, Johnathan Thurston, Matthew Scott, Rory Kostjasyn, Ashton Sims, Gavin Cooper, Tariq Sims, Jason Taumalolo. Interchange: Ray Thompson, Scott Bolton, Glenn Hall, James Tamou
Ins: None
Outs: None
Other unavailables:Cameron King (knee, season), Lachlan Coote (ACL, season), Brent Tate (ACL, season), Joel Riethmuller (hamstring, indefinite), Matthew Wright (ASADA ban, season)
Comment: No changes, although Kane Linnett is likely to cop a suspension and drop out, which could bring SuperCoach cheapie Curtis Rona into the side. Johnathan Thurston and Jason Taumalolo are two of the form players of the competition.

Manly Sea Eagles:
Brett Stewart, Jorge Taufua, Jamie Lyon, Steve Matai, Peta Hiku, Kieran Foran, Daly Cherry-Evans, Josh Starling, Matt Ballin, Brenton Lawrence, Anthony Watmough, Justin Horo, Tom Symonds. Interchange: Jesse Sene-Lefao, Dunamis Lui, James Hasson, Jason King
Ins: Brenton Lawrence
Outs: Jamie Buhrer (ACL, season)
Other unavailables: Glenn Stewart (ankle, season), Jake Trbojevic (ankle, indefinite), David Williams (betting suspension, season)