Cowboys v Raiders: Vailea on track; Tapine in, Smithies out
Although they showed signs of improvement last week, the Cowboys are still looking for their first win of the season and will be aiming to bring down Ricky's Raiders when they come to town on Saturday.
North Queensland fought hard against the Broncos and were arguably the better team for much of the first half but were not able to convert their early dominance into any points.
The lack of finesse in their fifth-tackle options has been one of the major issues for the Cowboys so far this season, with a lack of experience proving critical.
After a high-flying start to their season, Canberra came crashing back to earth last week in their heavy loss to the Sea Eagles, who blew them off the park with a near flawless first-half performance which saw the Raiders down 30-0 at half-time.
While second-half tries to Sebastian Kris and Hudson Young kept the Raiders from being held scoreless, the visitors will be smarting and will aim to start fast against the desperate Cowboys.
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Team News
Cowboys: The Cowboys are 1-17 with no late changes. Centre Zac Laybutt will need to wake another week to make his NRL comeback from an ACL injury after dropping out of the squad in Friday's team update. Viliami Vailea has been named to play despite failing to finish last week's game due to an eye injury. Karl Lawton is the 18th man.
Raiders: Trey Mooney starts the game and Josh Papalii goes to the bench in a late switch an hour before kick-off. Captain Joseph Tapine is back on deck after serving a two-match suspension for a shoulder charge so Corey Horsburgh shifts to lock. Englishman Morgan Smithies has entered the NRL's concussion protocols. Winger Xavier Savage will make his 50th NRL appearance.
This article contains content that is only available on NRL.com
Stat Attack
- The Cowboys have won their last six games against the Raiders.
- The Raiders have won only one from five at Queensland Country Bank Stadium.
- The Cowboys have conceded 104 points in their first three games.
- Raiders winger Xavier Savage will make his 50th NRL appearance.
- The Cowboys have won five of their last seven games at Queensland Country Bank Stadium.
Stats supplied by David Middleton, League Information Services, author of the official annual of the NRL.
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