North Queensland Cowboys

Namo since joining the Cowboys on train and trial deal early this year has been very strong for Townsville Blackhawks in the Hostplus Cup throughout the season. And this is a reward for his hard work and commitment. 

Namo’s last game against SP PNG Hunters was a prove for his form. He scored a try and put a strong performance through the middle. Which helped his side to a comfortable victory against his former club, the SP Hunters. 

A seven-minute first half flurry – which saw North Queensland run in three tries while Jayden Sullivan was in the sin bin – put the game beyond doubt early on with the Cowboys consigning the Dragons to their sixth straight defeat.

Having become just the 47th player to reach the 300-game mark, the night started in perfect fashion for Hunt, with the versatile veteran setting up Jack de Belin for the first points of the game after just three minutes.

The Roosters have found form over the past fortnight after an up-and-down start to the season and will have taken plenty of confidence from holding the Warriors scoreless last week, with their goal-line defence and ability to soak up prolonged periods without the ball standing out in the 14-0 win. 

The Cowboys did neither of those things well against the in-form Sharks last week and have been further rocked by suspension and injury ahead of their trip to Suncorp Stadium.

Banu (Tully) and Long (Innisfail) are both North Queensland products with PNG heritage, who relocated to South East Queensland as teenagers, but will return home to suit up for the Cowboys.

Banu was named in the 2022 BMD Premiership Team of the Year at prop after a sensational campaign with Wynnum Manly. The 20-year-old was rewarded with her international debut for the Orchids at the 2022 World Cup.

In his third game back after a three-game suspension, Drinkwater ran for 216 metres and had two try assists as the Cowboys put a dampener on Ponga's 100th NRL game and his first since Round 2 due to concussion.

The Cowboys struck the first blow when Drinkwater exploded into space and found Reece Robson backing up inside for the game's opening try.

Adam O'Brien's men face a long road trip to Townsville after a Nathan Cleary field goal broke their hearts last Saturday but the expected return of skipper Kalyn Ponga should be enough to put the spring back in their step at Newcastle this week. 

Meanwhile, the Cowboys will be hoping to make amends with their faithful after losing to the Dolphins at home in Round 6.

Playing in front of a passionate Mt Smart Stadium crowd the Warriors dug deep in defence to keep the Cowboys at bay despite having to make 80 more tackles.

It took the Warriors just four minutes to get the ball rolling when Addin Fonua-Blake powered over from close range after an Adam Pompey intercept had put the home side on the attack.

The Cowboys hit back in the 19th minute after mounting plenty of pressure on the back of Shaun Johnson putting a a short dropout out on the full and a string of six-again calls.

In their only other game in Auckland this season the Warriors snuck past the Bulldogs 14-12 and they'll be keen to make Mt Smart a fortress after two years away from their home base during the pandemic.

The Cowboys failed to make the most of their home ground advantage on Good Friday, suffering a 32-22 loss to the Dolphins at Queensland Country Bank Stadium to slip to 2-4 on the season

While both sides were missing some of their major stars due to injuries and suspension, it did not stop fans flocking to sell out the stadium with 22,811 on hand to see the Cowboys go down to the NRL's newest club.

After a steady start to the game, the Dolphins got the ball rolling on the scoreboard in the eighth minute when Jamayne Isaako finished off a well-worked scrum play.

He was in again soon after with an impressive effort - outleaping Cowboys makeshift winger Brendan Elliot to reel in an Isaiya Katoa kick and push his side to an early 8-0 lead.

Both teams lost in Round 5, with the gritty efforts of the first month taking a toll on the Dolphins who have had their depth severely tested in recent weeks. Their loss to the Dragons was made even harder to take, with the side suffering another key injury in the halves, with Anthony Milford injuring his hamstring.

The Cowboys went down in a thriller against the Bulldogs, with a stunning Matt Burton field goal in golden point consigning the North Queensland side to their third loss of the season.