5 things you need to know: Cowboys v Sharks

Author: Cowboys.com.au
Timestamp: Thu 16 Aug 2018, 02:12 PM

The North Queensland Toyota Cowboys travel south this weekend to take on a high-flying Cronulla Sharks outfit at Southern Cross Group Stadium.

1. LAST HURRAH

Saturday night's fixture marks the final Sydney appearance in the glittering career of Johnathan Thurston. The Cowboys co-captain has enjoyed some of the finest moments of his career in the NSW capital, none bigger than his history-making golden point field goal at ANZ Stadium to claim the Cowboys first ever premiership in 2015.

2. FAMILIAR FOES

The Cowboys have only met one club more times than Cronulla since entering the premiership in 1995. North Queensland's 46 clashes with the Sharks trail only their 50 showdowns with Brisbane. The Sharks have had the upper hand for the majority of the rivalry, but the Cowboys come into the match with wins in the last two meetings, including a 20-14 victory in Round 1 this season and a thrilling 15-14 extra time triumph in week one of the 2017 finals.

3. FOUR-POINT PHENOM

Gavin Cooper extended his golden try scoring run to six-straight games with another four-pointer in last week's thrilling XXXX Derby victory over the Broncos at 1300SMILES Stadium. Running on to a brilliant short-ball from front-rower Matt Scott, Cooper took his total to 10 for the season, which is the most of any forward in the NRL.

4. SPEEDSTER RETAINED

Twenty-year-old winger Gideon Gela-Mosby holds his spot in Paul Green's side after an exciting season debut against Brisbane. The fleet-footed youngster showcased his electric speed when swooping on a Te Maire Martin grubber to score the first try of the game. A record-breaking try scorer in the under 20s, Gela-Mosby has now scored four tries in his five NRL games.

5. HE'S STILL GOT IT

A grubber to set up Coen Hess' match-winning try against Brisbane took Johnathan Thurston to an NRL-best 17 try assists in 2018. At age 35, JT is still mesmerizing opposition defences in his final season. His 17 try assists are tied with Titans young gun Ash Taylor and Roosters five-eighth Luke Keary for the competition lead and his 19 line-break assists are five more than any other player in the competition.