

Wests Tigers will look to keep their finals hopes alive when they take on the North Queensland Cowboys in Townsville for their Round 22 clash.
Coming into the match off back-to-back defeats, the visitors will be keen to build on a 16-4 victory over the Cowboys when they met earlier in the year, and know that they’ll need to lift to defeat the Cowboys in front of their home fans at 1300 SMILES Stadium.
With finals aspirations on the line for both teams — plus plenty of feeling and history between the two teams throughout the years — it promises to be a fascinating NRL match and one that could attract plenty of interest from fans both sides of the border.
Who will walk away with the two competition points on offer this week?
Read on for a full preview of the Round 22 clash including all the key details, team news, TV and live stream information, match analysis and more.
Match Details
Date — Saturday, August 9, 2014
Time — 7:30pm
Venue — 1300 SMILES Stadium, Townsville
TV, Radio and Live Stream Details
TV — Live coverage via Fox Sports 1 (check local guides)
Radio — Live coverage via ABC Grandstand (check local guides)
Live Stream — Live via Foxtel Go, NRL Digital Pass (subscription required)
Twitter — Click here to follow Wests Tigers on Twitter for team news and commentary
Confirmed Squads
Wests Tigers have named rookie halfback Luke Brooks to return from injury against the Cowboys, with a replacement not yet known for Bodene Thompson, who will miss the match due to suspension. The Cowboys have named an unchanged lineup to the side that won in Round 21, with John Asiata added to an extended bench.
Wests Tigers |
|
North Queensland Cowboys |
Mitchell Moses |
1 |
Michael Morgan |
Keith Lulia |
2 |
Tautau Moga |
Tim Simona |
3 |
Matthew Wright |
Bodene Thompson |
4 |
Kane Linnett |
Pat Richards |
5 |
Antonio Winterstein |
Blake Austin |
6 |
Robert Lui |
Luke Brooks |
7 |
Johnathan Thurston |
Aaron Woods |
8 |
Matthew Scott |
Robbie Farah |
9 |
Rory Kostjasyn |
Keith Galloway |
10 |
Ashton Sims |
Curtis Sironen |
11 |
Tariq Sims |
Dene Halatau |
12 |
Jason Taumalolo |
Adam Blair |
13 |
Glenn Hall |
Ava Seumanufagai |
14 |
Ray Thompson |
Martin Taupau |
15 |
Scott Bolton |
Sauaso Sue |
16 |
Gavin Cooper |
James Gavet |
17 |
Sam Hoare |
|
18 |
John Asiata |
Last Five Matches
Wests Tigers
R17 — Penrith Panthers 26 def. Wests Tigers 10
R18 — Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles 40 def. Wests Tigers 8
R19 — Wests Tigers 46 def. Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs 18
R20 — St. George-Illawarra Dragons 28 def. Wests Tigers 12
R21 — Melbourne Storm 28 def. Wests Tigers 6
North Queensland Cowboys
R16 — North Queensland Cowboys 20 def. South Sydney Rabbitohs 18
R17 — St. George-Illawarra Dragons 27 def. North Queensland Cowboys 24
R19 — North Queensland Cowboys 36 def. Cronulla Sharks 18
R20 — North Queensland Cowboys 20 def. Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs 12
R21 — North Queensland Cowboys 28 def. Gold Coast Titans 8
Match History: Played 30, Won 16, Lost 13, Drawn 1
Last Time They Met
Round 6, 2014 — Wests Tigers 16 def. North Queensland Cowboys 4
Despite conceding the first try of the match to Brent Tate, Wests Tigers quickly stormed back with tries either side of half-time to Robbie Farah and Blake Austin to take control of their Round 6 clash against the Cowboys. The Cowboys continued to be repelled by strong goal-line defence by the hosts, with a try in the final 10 minutes to Pat Richards putting the result beyond all doubt as the visitors walked away empty-handed.
Number to Know — 158
With a try and several goals last week, Cowboys playmaker Johnathan Thurston has moved to top of the competition’s top points-scoring this year with 158 points. The Australian international also leads the league in try-assists with 21, and will no doubt be at the heart of everything that the hosts conjure up this week. It was a disappointing night for Thurston when he went to Campbelltown Sports Stadium in Round 6 — bombing a try and missing a penalty goal from right in front — and Wests Tigers will certainly be hoping that the skilled half has another night to forget this weekend.
Coach’s Comment
“There’s very limited training this week given the short turnaround. It’s more about their heads then their bodies late in the year. The Cowboys are all about their big people and Johnathan Thurston; it all revolves around him. We need to set our plays nice and early and make sure our line is set to contain him...” (Mick Potter, NRL Head Coach)
Individual Stats Leaders
|
Wests Tigers |
North Queensland Cowboys |
Points |
Pat Richards (141 points) |
Johnathan Thurston (158 points) |
Tackles |
Adam Blair (560 tackles) |
Rory Kostjaysn (502 tackles) |
Hit-Ups |
Aaron Woods (203 hit-ups) |
Jason Taumalolo (183 hit-ups) |
Total Metres |
Aaron Woods (2159 metres) |
Jason Taumalolo (2218 metres) |
Key Player Stats
- Johnathan Thurston leads the NRL in points scored (158)
- Johnathan Thurston ranks third in the NRL for line-break assists (14)
- Tariq Sims leads the NRL in turnover tackles (12)
- Robbie Farah leads the NRL in dummy-half runs (101)
- Pat Richards leads the NRL in intercepts (4)
- Jason Taumalolo ranks second in the NRL for decoy runs (115)
- Luke Brooks leads the NRL in missed tackles (89)
- Johnathan Thurston leads the NRL in try-assists (21)
Team Stats
|
Wests Tigers |
North Queensland Cowboys |
Position |
12th (22 points) |
7th (24 points) |
Points For |
362 points (11th) |
438 points (4th) |
Points Against |
453 points (13th) |
332 points (5th) |
Penalties For |
138 penalties (3rd most) |
125 penalties (8th most) |
Missed Tackles |
608 tackles (4th most) |
458 tackles (14th most) |
Line Breaks |
72 linebreaks (12th) |
76 linebreaks (10th) |
2014 Home Record |
Played 10: Won 5, Lost 5 |
Played 9: Won 8, Lost 1 |
2014 Away Record |
Played 9: Won 4, Lost 5 |
Played 10: Won 2, Lost 8 |
2014 Total Record |
Played 19: Won 9, Lost 10 |
Played 19: Won 10, Lost 9 |