The ability of the Roosters to keep pulling themselves up off the canvas and continue throwing punches will be sorely tested after the Tricolours added to their already extensive injury list in the loss to Parramatta.
Playmaker Drew Hutchison suffered fractured ribs and a punctured lung to add to the Roosters' bulging casualty ward and they will take their battered and bruised squad to Brisbane to take on the hot-and-cold Cowboys.
The Roosters, who have been battling to find 21 fit players in recent weeks, slipped one spot to sixth on the ladder and are in danger of losing contact with the top four.
The Cowboys, meanwhile, enter the clash having won four of their past five and buoyed by a one-point comeback win in their Queensland derby triumph over the Broncos.
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The rundown
Team news
Roosters: The Roosters are 1-17 with Egan Butcher the last man cut an hour before kick-off and Joseph Suaalii the 18th man.
Lachlan Lam returns at five-eighth for Drew Hutchison (ribs) and Sitili Tupouniua is back from suspension in the back row, pushing Nat Butcher to the interchange and Tuku Hau Tapuha to reserves.
Victor Radley (HIA) and Sam Walker (shoulder) will both play.
Hau Tapuha and Naufahu Whyte were the first two players cut from the squad on Friday.
The Roosters have won only two of their past nine games at Suncorp Stadium.
Cowboys: A late change with Tom Gilbert joining the bench in jersey 20 and Ben Condon reverting to 18th man.
Kane Bradley and Corey Jensen were the first two players cut 24 hours before kick-off. Daejarn Asi was cut an hour before kick-off.
Jason Taumalolo will become the eighth player to appear in 200 NRL games for the Cowboys.
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Key match-up
Daniel Tupou v Kyle Feldt: The lanky Rooster has stood tall despite not having had the scoreboard impact of sidelined fellow winger Brett Morris (11 tries) or the veteran's replacement Matt Ikuvalu (hat-trick v Parramatta).
Tupou's 21 tackle busts and six line breaks tower over his Cowboys rival's stats (10, 1) but he will have to be on his toes because Feldt has a gift for finding the line - as he showed with his miraculous put-down against Brisbane.
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Stat attack
North Queensland rank No.1 for missed tackles in the NRL and while the Roosters' attacking stocks have been denuded by their brutal injury toll they still have the weapons to make the Cowboys pay if they can't aim up in that area.
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