Saturday’s NRL 2018 Round 7 match is between Nth Queensland Cowboys and Gold Coast Titans. The opening kick is set to commence at 19:35 local time with the game to be played at 1300SMILES Stadium, Townsville. The home team Nth Queensland Cowboys are the favourites for the match. View our preview and teams for the game between Nth Queensland Cowboys and Gold Coast Titans.
When: 19:35 | Saturday 21/04/2018
Where: 1300SMILES Stadium, Townsville
Preview:
There’s no doubt the chips are down for the Cowboys after just one win for the season so far.
New signing for the Cows with the coach Paul Green agreeing for a further four years and another home game might be enough to get them home.
Losing current NSW hooker Nathan Peats for six weeks and Dale Copley for three weeks will definitely hurt.
Peats was the spiritual leader for the Titans and will be sorely missed but having Mitch Rein to fill in is an added bonus though.
The Verdict
Knowing a lot of players in the Cowboys team and coaching staff, I can see how hard this is for them.
Like many, I have high expectations for the home team and think something special is around the corner.
Jonathan Thurston and co are too professional for this to not turn at some stage.
Look for the future immortal to put on a masterclass.
North Queensland has a 5-1 (83.3 percent) record in night matches against the Gold Coast since 2014.
Unibet Odds:
North Queensland at $1.56
Gold Coast at $2.45
Odds:
OFFER: Deposit $50 BET with $200 via this link – Ends Soon!
Tip: Nth Queensland Cowboys at $1.46
Value Tip: First Try Scorer: Konrad Hurrell at $17
More Info:
Teams:
Cowboys:
1 Lachlan Coote, 2 Kyle Feldt, 3 Justin O’Neill, 4 Ben Hampton, 5 Antonio Winterstein, 6 Michael Morgan, 7 Johnathan Thurston (c), 8 Matthew Scott (c), 9 Jake Granville, 10 Scott Bolton, 11 Gavin Cooper, 12 Coen Hess, 13 Jason Taumalolo Interchange: 14 Te Maire Martin, 15 John Asiata, 16 Corey Jensen, 17 Ethan Lowe Reserves: 18 Francis Molo, 19 Javid Bowen, 20 Enari Tuala, 21 Sam Hoare
Titans:
1 Michael Gordon, 2 Anthony Don, 3 Phillip Sami, 4 Konrad Hurrell, 5 Tyronne Roberts-Davis, 6 Kane Elgey, 7 Ashley Taylor, 8 Jarrod Wallace, 9 Mitch Rein, 10 Ryan James (c), 11 Kevin Proctor, 12 Will Matthews, 13 Jai Arrow Interchange: 14 Max King, 15 Bryce Cartwright, 16 Jack Stockwell, 17 Keegan Hipgrave Reserves: 18 Morgan Boyle, 19 Ryan Simpkins, 20 Brenko Lee, 21 Brendan Elliot
NRL News:
Canberra captain Jarrod Croker has made an appeal for off-contract NRL forward Junior Paulo to re-sign with the Raiders.
Speculation continues about Paulo’s future in the nation’s capital, with Parramatta reportedly set to announce the 24-year-old’s return to the club on a mammoth four-year deal.
But Croker says Paulo is yet to tell the Raiders of his plans despite a media report on Wednesday saying he had accepted the Eels deal.
Paulo said on Tuesday he was weighing up “several” offers from Sydney clubs but was yet to make a decision on his future.
Croker called Paulo a “fantastic bloke” and is desperate for him to remain at the Raiders, adding the players have not given up hope he will continue at the club he left Parramatta for in 2016.
“I’ve heard what you’ve heard, so until Junior makes a decision he’ll tell us straight away whatever he’s going to do and we’ll go with that,” Croker said on Thursday.
“He’s a really good guy and the boys love playing with him and we want him to stay.
“It’d be really sad to see him leave if that’s the case but Junior’s got a young family and I’m sure he’ll make a decision based on that as well.”
If Paulo does sign with the Eels on the reported $2.8 million deal, Canberra won’t release him before the end of this season.
Regardless, Paulo would be a massive addition to the Eels’ pack which has been often criticised during their winless start to the season.
Only one Parramatta forward is averaging more than 100 metres per game this season, while they admit they are lacking size up front.
“It will be good to have him here because we need a few boys with a bit of weight behind them,” Eels prop Kane Evans said of Paulo.
“We have a hard working forward pack and everyone is pretty solid, but he is a real heavy boy.
“He’s a gangster, so it would be good to have him in the team.
“A feared front-rower like him. He is so hard to tackle.”
The Raiders’ other key forward, Josh Papalii and Shannon Boyd, are also coming off contract at season’s end.
