Sharks face a tough Thursday night test in Townsville

Author: Sharks Media
Timestamp: Wed 16 Aug 2023, 07:49 PM

Back-to-back wins have the Sharks riding a wave of confidence as they continue to walk the Finals tightrope with just three matches in the 2023 regular season left to be played.

The Sharks doubled down on their impressive win over Souths in Perth with a convincing victory over the Titans at home, however the challenge ramps up another notch when they face fellow Finals contenders the Cowboys tomorrow night in the hostile environment of Queensland Country Bank Stadium.

Sitting sixth and with their Finals destiny in their own hands, coach Craig Fitzgibbon refuses to be drawn into looking ahead of the task at hand and is firmly focused on the Cowboys and the crucial Thursday night clash.

“Everyone views the Cowboys as a strong team and a strong club, they’re close to full health with their squad, so it will be a difficult challenge and we need to be ready,” Fitzgibbon began.

“Our last two have been pretty strong performances but we’ve been trying not to focus on who our next opponent is. If you get caught up thinking big picture, trying to work out where the ladder sits, who’s on what points, I think it adds an element of pressure that’s not needed.

“We just want to focus on playing strongly and to playing well against the Cowboys this weekend,” he added.

While Fitzgibbon Is preferring to channel his energies on the present, it remains hard to ignore the Sharks run home, which involves tomorrow’s match up in Townsville, then two more games against teams that are also challenging for top eight berths.

Following the North Queensland game the Sharks go on the road again for a match against the Newcastle Knights, before finishing their season at home when they host the Raiders.

As for the Cowboys, the game against the Sharks is crucial, but so too a trip to Brisbane to play the Dolphins in round 26, before they end the regular season away from home against ladder leaders the Panthers.

The Cowboys are currently level with Souths on 28 points but in ninth place on for and against, two points behind the Sharks, with a win tomorrow having the potential to move them as high as sixth, while a loss could drop them to 10th.

A Sharks victory over North Queensland could propel the Cronulla team as high as fourth, however perhaps more significantly, a win would almost cement a place inside the top eight and an appearance in the NRL Finals for what would be the 10th time in the past 12 seasons. A defeat at the hands of the Cowboys could result in a drop to seventh.

In the head-to-head record in matches played between the two clubs, the Sharks hold a distinct advantage, having won on 36 occasions as compared to 19 wins by the Cowboys, with Cronulla’s 65 percent win record against North Queensland it’s best against any current opponent.

In recent times, the Sharks have won 13 of the past 16 and their 44-6 triumph at PointsBet Stadium in round 9 was their equal biggest win against North Queensland

The Sharks have also enjoyed a measure of success in Townsville, winning the past four and 16 of the 27 matches played against the Cowboys.

North Queensland come into the game following a bye, while at home in 2023 they are eight from 11, with the 30-14 loss to Brisbane in round 23 ending a six-match home win streak.

Away from PointsBet in 2023, the Sharks have won seven of 12 matches.

In player milestones, Cowboys forward Jason Taumalolo will play his 250th game for the North Queensland club, joining Johnathan Thurston (294), Matt Bowen (270) and Matt Scott (268) as just the fourth played to reach the mark.

The match will also be the second to be played for the Paul Green Medal, honouring the late former Sharks player and Cowboys premiership winning coach, with Nicho Hynes the inaugural recipient of the award back in round 9.

The player adjudged by the winning coach to be the best on the day receives the medal, with Green’s wife Amanda and children Jed and Emerson to be at Queensland Country Bank Stadium to present.

In team news, the Sharks have made just one change to the 17 which beat the Titans, Tom Hazleton returns, with Jesse Colquhoun on the extended reserves list. Otherwise they were reporting no injury concerns.

The Sharks v Cowboys match is scheduled for a 7.50pm kick-off, with the two 19-man squads listed below.

Round 25 - Round 25 - Thursday 17 Aug

Full Time

Cowboys

Sharks

Team Lists

Backs

Fullback for Cowboys is number 1 Scott Drinkwater

Fullback for Sharks is number 1 Connor Tracey
Winger for Cowboys is number 2 Kyle Feldt

Winger for Sharks is number 2 Sione Katoa
Centre for Cowboys is number 3 Murray Taulagi

Centre for Sharks is number 3 Jesse Ramien
Centre for Cowboys is number 4 Peta Hiku

Centre for Sharks is number 4 Siosifa Talakai
Winger for Cowboys is number 5 Semi Valemei

Winger for Sharks is number 5 Ronaldo Mulitalo
Five-Eighth for Cowboys is number 6 Tom Dearden

Five-Eighth for Sharks is number 6 Braydon Trindall
Halfback for Cowboys is number 7 Chad Townsend

Halfback for Sharks is number 7 Nicholas Hynes

Forwards

Prop for Cowboys is number 8 Jordan McLean

Prop for Sharks is number 8 Toby Rudolf
Hooker for Cowboys is number 9 Reece Robson

Hooker for Sharks is number 9 Blayke Brailey
Prop for Cowboys is number 10 Jason Taumalolo

Prop for Sharks is number 10 Braden Hamlin-Uele
2nd Row for Cowboys is number 11 Luciano Leilua

2nd Row for Sharks is number 11 Briton Nikora
2nd Row for Cowboys is number 12 Jeremiah Nanai

2nd Row for Sharks is number 12 Wade Graham
Lock for Cowboys is number 13 Reuben Cotter

Lock for Sharks is number 13 Cameron McInnes

Interchange

Interchange for Cowboys is number 14 Jake Granville

Interchange for Sharks is number 14 Jack Williams
Interchange for Cowboys is number 15 Coen Hess

Interchange for Sharks is number 15 Royce Hunt
Interchange for Cowboys is number 16 Heilum Luki

Interchange for Sharks is number 16 Thomas Hazelton
Interchange for Cowboys is number 17 Griffin Neame

Interchange for Sharks is number 17 Matt Moylan