KEY POINTS:
The Warriors will pay heavy attention to Cowboys captain and playmaker Johnathan Thurston in Townsville tonight.
He is one of the game's smartest attackers but he's also an ordinary defender and because he played in the State of Origin on Wednesday night, the Warriors will be looking to test his stamina. Expect their forwards to run right at him. If they can force Thurston into making anything more than a dozen tackles it will take the huge sting out of his attack.
The Warriors have won their last three games with an impressive go-forward from the pack and tonight should be no different. Against them, prop Carl Webb will also be fatigued by the Origin effort and their other representative forward Jacob Lillyman is out with a fractured eye socket.
The visitors should have too much up front and, behind the pack, halves Grant Rovelli and Michael Witt are looking decidedly more comfortable. It is their combinations with hookers Nathan Fien and George Gatis around the ruck that has carved up defences, as well as fullback Wade McKinnon's scintillating support runs.
Five-eighth Witt has landed 16 consecutive goals, including an amazing sideline shot into a gale at Cronulla.
Warriors second-rower Micheal Luck, a late call-up as 18th man for Queensland at the State of Origin on Wednesday makes his 40th consecutive appearance for the club after starting the 2006 season. He is averaging 34 tackles a game this year and made 47 against the Titans last weekend.
The Cowboys have conceded the most tries in the competition, 70, to the Warriors' 49, or 4.7 to 3.3 per game. The home team's weakness is on the left side, 31 tries scored down that channel. So expect Witt and Rovelli to try chip-kicks and bombs. And look to Warriors right-centre Simon Mannering to continue to make the busts he has been and put big wing Manu Vatuvei away down that flank.
Either Ray Cashmere or Matt Scott was expected to drop from the Cowboys' five-man bench provided Webb passes a fitness test following Origin while the Warriors were expected to drop Lance Hohaia and stick with the 17 who won last weekend.
The Warriors have played nine times in Townsville, the home side winning five of those, the Warriors not victorious there since 2002. But they have won the last two encounters at Mt Smart, 26-0 last year and 34-14 in round five in April this season.
They host the lowly Dragons next weekend at Mt Smart. Two wins from these two games would put them right in playoff contention.
Townsville Stadium, 9.30 tonight
Cowboys
1. Matt Bowen
2. Ashley Graham
3. Scott Minto
4. Paul Bowman
5. Ty Williams
6. Jason Smith
7. J. Thurston (c)
8. Shane Tronc
9. Aaron Payne
10. Carl Webb
11. Steve Southern
12. Justin Smith
13. Sione Faumuina
Cowboys (from): David Faiumu, Ben Farrar, Matthew Bartlett, Ray Cashmere, Matt Scott.
Warriors
1. Wade McKinnon
2. Patrick Ah Van
3. Todd Byrne
4. Simon Mannering
5. Manu Vatuvei
6. Michael Witt
7. Grant Rovelli
8. Ruben Wiki
9. Nathan Fien
10. Steve Price (c)
11. Louis Anderson
12. Logan Swann
13. Micheal Luck
Warriors (from): George Gatis, Lance Hohaia, Wairangi Koopu, Epalahame Lauaki, Sam Rapira, Evarn Tuimavave.
* Blues and Sharks halfback Brett Kimmorley has called for diving-at-the-legs tackles to be banned after he suffered a right knee injury when Steve Price charged down his kick during State of Origin III.
With his right leg in a brace after the game and facing a month on the sidelines, Kimmorley called the clip-tackle where the kicker's grounded leg is taken out "a bigger cheap shot than hitting someone in the head".
The State of Origin match commissioner Greg McCallum saw no illegality in the tackle.
* Steve Buckingham is back after injury to captain the Auckland Lions against Balmain-Ryde at Leichhardt Oval on Saturday evening. Warriors five-eighth Jerome Ropati also returns from injury and starts outside Buckingham. Kevin Locke is at fullback after recovering from a shoulder problem.
The Tigers side is stacked with players who have NRL experience and is handled by former Souths couch Arthur Kitinas.
Auckland Lions: Kevin Locke, Malo Solomona, Aidan Kirk, Constantine Mika, Michael Crockett, Jerome Ropati, Steve Buckingham (c), Wayne McDade, Marty Mitchell, Upu Poching, Lui Tolomoana, Sonny Fai, Corey Lawrie; interchange Kimi Uasi, Leeson Ah Mau, Fabian Soutar, Scott Jones.
Balmain-Ryde: Shannon McDonnell, Jason Moodie, Ben Jeffery, Rhys Hanbury, Lee Bennett (c), Tim Moltzen, Blake Ayshford, Jarrod Saffy, Lewis Brown, Ryan O'Hara, Ben Te'o, Tevita Metuisela, Danny Galea; interchange from Luke Harlen, Rocky Trimarchi, David Marando, Sam Moa, Alan Shirnack, Jai Ayoub, Tom Harberecht, Michael Howell, Sam Wara.
