Wests Tigers Holden Cup side will take on the North Queensland Cowboys in an Elimination Final on Friday night after a convincing victory last weekend.
After falling behind early, Wests Tigers quickly found their attacking rhythm against the Parramatta Eels — running in 10 tries on the day to emerge with a 54-24 victory.
They’ll now take on a Cowboys side coming off a heartbreaking Golden Point defeat last week to the Dragons, which cost the second-placed team a chance to have a week off.
Wests Tigers will come into the match with just one change on the interchange bench, and plenty of confidence having comprehensively beaten the Cowboys 36-12 when they met just six weeks prior to Friday’s Elimination Final at 1300 SMILES Stadium.
Of the 16 meetings between the two, Wests Tigers have won 10 and the Cowboys six.
The winner of Friday’s Elimination Final will go on to face the minor premiers, Penrith Panthers, in a Semi Final next Friday at Allianz Stadium for a spot in the Grand Final.
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Match Details
Date — Friday, September 16, 2016
Time — 5:15pm AEST
Venue — 1300 SMILES Stadium, Townsville
TV — Live via Fox Sports 1 (subscription required)
Match Officials
Match Referees — Phil Henderson and Kasey Badger
Touch Judges — Rohan Best and Belinda Sleeman
Video Referees — Jason Robinson and Luke Patten
Team Lists
Wests Tigers
1. Luke Sharpe 2. Roman Ioelu 3. Toa Mata’afa 4. Toni Tali 5. Obed Karwhin 6. Veiru Mapesone 7. Daniel Roberts 8. Jakob Giles 9. Jacob Liddle 10. Taniela Paseka 11. Esan Marsters 12. Mark McCormack 13. Jack Wheelhouse (Interchange: 14. Daniel Peck 15. Lenny Sauni 16. Rhys Sciglitano 17. Pio Sokobalava — Coach: Willie Peters)
North Queensland Cowboys
1. Kalyn Ponga 2. Gideon Gela-Mosby 3. Bacho Salam 4. Enari Tuala 5. Marcus Jensen 6. Ty Carucci 7. Cooper Bambling 8. Darryn Schonig 9. Brandon Smith 10. Nicholas Brown 11. Cody Maughan 12. Ross Bella 13. Tahanui Tutavake (Interchange: 14. Nathan Traill 15. Corey Horsburgh 16. Kaleb Fuimaono 17. Nick Lui Toso — Coach: Aaron Payne)
Recent Form
Wests Tigers
R23 — Gold Coast Titans 36 def. Wests Tigers 34
R24 — Wests Tigers 22 def. Penrith Panthers 14
R25 — Wests Tigers 24 drew with New Zealand Warriors 24
R26 — Wests Tigers 28 drew with Canberra Raiders 28
North Queensland Cowboys
R23 — Sydney Roosters 42 def. North Queensland Cowboys 24
R24 — North Queensland Cowboys 34 def. New Zealand Warriors 0
R25 — North Queensland Cowboys 32 def. Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs 14
R26 — North Queensland Cowboys 42 def. Gold Coast Titans 22
QF1 — St. George-Illawarra Dragons 34 def. North Queensland Cowboys 30
Last Time They Met — Wests Tigers 36 def. Cowboys 12 (Rd.22, 2016)
Trailing 6-2 early in the contest, Wests Tigers would lead 12-6 at the break before extending their lead in the second half with a blistering attacking spell — running in 34 unanswered points to emerge with a convincing 24-point win at Leichhardt Oval.
Click here to read the full Match Report from the Round 22 Holden Cup match.
2016 Season Summary
Position | Wests Tigers (6th), Cowboys (2nd)
Points For | Wests Tigers (6th), Cowboys (2nd)
Points Against | Wests Tigers (3rd), Cowboys (2nd)
Completion Rate | Wests Tigers (6th), Cowboys (13th)
Linebreaks | Wests Tigers (3rd), Cowboys (2nd)
Offloads | Wests Tigers (6th), Cowboys (8th)
Missed Tackles | Wests Tigers (2nd fewest), Cowboys (6th)
Errors | Wests Tigers (7th most), Cowboys (2nd)
Penalties | Wests Tigers (9th), Cowboys (6th)
