The North Queensland Toyota Cowboys travel to Sydney to take on the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles at Lottoland on Friday evening.
1. WELCOME TOM
Tom Dearden will become Cowboy No.295 on Friday night. Dearden joined the club prior to the Round 13 bye and has been quickly brought up to speed by Todd Payten and the coaching staff. The 20-year-old Mackay product will partner Scott Drinkwater in the halves.
2. BIG GUNS RETURN
Cowboys skipper Jason Taumalolo headlines a number of huge inclusions for North Queensland. Taumalolo and Lachlan Burr return from suspension, while fellow forward Francis Molo has overcome a concussion sustained in the Round 11 victory over Newcastle.
3. ORIGIN BACK-UP
Cowboys State of Origin duo Valentine Holmes and Kyle Feldt both remain a chance to suit up Friday night, despite the fixture falling less than 48 hours after the series opener. Holmes and Feldt will be assessed Thursday.
4. MAKING UP GROUND
Manly hold a five-game lead in the overall head-to-head with North Queensland. The Cowboys have won 13 of the 31 fixtures between the two sides, with the last victory coming in 2018 – a 26-12 triumph at Lottoland in Mitch Dunn’s NRL debut.
5. TRY TIME
Cowboys winger Murray Taulagi’s recent try-scoring spree has catapulted him into the top 10 for the season. Taulagi has scored four tries in his previous two games to take his total to nine for the season in just 10 games.
