2nd Preliminary Final
North Queensland Cowboys v Manly Sea Eagles
Saturday, September 26, 5::00pm, AAMI Park – LIVE on Fox Sports 1
North Queensland Cowboys
1. Kayln Ponga 2. Gideon Mosby 3. Akeripa Tia Kilifi 4. Conor Carey 5. Scott Schulte 6. Kyle Laybutt 7. Cooper Bambling 8. Ross Bella 9. Brandon Smith 10. Braden Uele 11. Coen Hess 12. Temone Power 13. Jordan Kenworthy. Interchange: 14. Andrew Niemoeller 15. Mitchell Dunn 16. Kieran Quabba 17. David Munro 18. Bill Cullen. Coach: Todd Payten.
Manly Sea Eagles
1. Tom Trbojevic 2. Jesse Bogle 3. Addison Demetriou 4. Jesse Ramien 5. Mitch Thomas 6. Will Pearsall 7. Riley Travers 8. Liam Knight 9. Hugh Pratt 10. Jesse Maxwell-Offen 11. Luke Garner 12. Billy Bainbridge 13. Darcy Cox. Interchange: 14. Nicho Hynes 15. James Parker 16. Dallas Koen 17. Moses Noovao-McGreal. Coach: David Heath.
The Cowboys have been an attacking force in 2015 and come up against a Manly side they have defeated twice in 2015.
On both those occasions the Sea Eagles were without star fullback Tom Trbojevic, who played first grade in the side’s Round 12 clash in Townsville.
North Queensland earned a week off last week after defeating the Broncos in Week 1 of the finals.
The win came at a cost though with injuries to Brandon Smith, Viliame Kikau and David Munro.
Kikau, recently crowned RLPA Player of the Year, was the only one unable to recover in time for the match, a big blow for the junior Cowboys.
The Cowboys watched on at home while the Sea Eagles defeated the Tigers to earn a preliminary final spot last weekend.
Manly trailed by two points at half time before regaining the lead after the break thanks to Luke Garner, who scored his second try.
The trio of Trbojevic, Demetriou and Garner were in fine touch again for Manly but if they trail at half time to North Queensland on Saturday night, it’ll be a much harder task.
The game is being played in neutral territory at Melbourne’s AAMI Park.
North Queensland defeated the Storm their by 20 points in Round 25, while Manly lost their game against the Storm at the venue by six points.
Ins and Outs
With Kikau out for North Queensland, Ross Bella moves into the starting side at prop.
Andrew Niemoeller returns from injury to take Bella’s spot on the bench, a big inclusion for the Cowboys.
For Manly, Kyle Saunders makes way on the wing for Jesse Bogle.
James Parker returns on the bench from an injury sustained against Penrith in Week 1, replacing Jyi Seymour.
2015 Head to Head
Round 12 – North Queensland 38-6 Manly at 1300SMILES Stadium.
Round 18 – North Queensland 34-16 Manly at Brookvale Oval.
Keep An Eye On
Kyle Laybutt (North Queensland)
Joined the Cowboys midway through 2015 and has impressed enough to earn an NRL contract for 2016, scoring 10 tries in 15 games. Equipped with a great kicking game and a knack for breaking tackles, Laybutt is dangerous close to the line.
Liam Knight (Manly)
The Sea Eagles forward leader was at his best last weekend. The prop scored a try, ran for 202 metres and made 39 tackles in the win. His battle with Cowboys front rower Braden Uele will be one to watch.
18TH MAN 