A trip to North Queensland might be a good opportunity for new coach Ivan Cleary to bond with his new group, but the Tigers should be handsomely beaten by the Cowboys on Saturday night.
Gold Coast Titans versus Canberra RaidersSaturday, 8 April
Kick-off: 5:30pm at Cbus Super Stadium
The Titans were gallant last weekend in New Zealand where they raced to a 22-12 halftime lead, but failed to trouble the scorers in the second half as their injury crisis mounted. Makeshift fullback Tyrone Roberts suffered a knee injury and has been named as 19th man this weekend but is highly unlikely to play.
This shifts his cousin Tyrone Roberts Davis to fullback. The Titans welcome back Anthony Don and Konrad Hurrell to their backline for this weekend’s game against the Raiders. Elliott Whitehead bumps Clay Priest back to the bench for the visitors who have an otherwise unchanged side.
The Raiders played well in their first half against the Eels but dropped off over a 20-minute period in the second half which allowed the Eels to draw themselves back into the game. They will be looking for a more focused performance this weekend.
The Titans have played in a few close losses this season and seem to have no trouble putting points on the board. They do struggle to defend though and against a potent points scoring team like the Raiders that could be a problem.
Another problem for the Titans will be the Raiders size in the middle. This will be a high scoring match, with the Raiders prevailing. Prediction: Canberra by 12.
North Queensland Cowboys versus Wests TigersSaturday, 8 April
Kick-off: 7:30pm at 1300 SMILES Stadium
Another week, another Tigers drama. This week the club got off to a good start with the appointment of new coach Ivan Cleary. Less than 24 hours later, Mitchell Moses wanted a release to Parramatta immediately and further along in the week James Tedesco was heavily rumoured to have already signed with the Roosters.
The Tigers are a rabble and the trip to North Queensland might do them some good.
The Cowboys did enough against the Rabbitohs last weekend. They were never in doubt of losing but didn’t blow the Bunnies off the park either. The Tigers were slow and lethargic against the Dragons. Their defensive line speed was incredibly poor and they were soundly beaten on the edges. They will need to sharpen up this weekend to stand any chance.
Cowboys hooker Jake Granville is out with a broken leg, promoting Ben Hampton to the starting role. Kalyn Ponga comes onto the bench and should feature. The Cowboys are otherwise unchanged. The Tigers are also unchanged, with Jacob Liddle coming onto the bench for Matt Ballin.
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Topic: NRL Round 6 predictions part 2: Cowboys to tame Tigers, Eels to beat Foran’s Warriors
