After copping their biggest defeat since the start of the 2021 season last week, the Roosters will be eager to bounce back against a struggling Cowboys side ahead of the finals kicking off.
In the face of a mounting injury toll, the Roosters footed it with the Knights through the opening half being overrun in a 20-4 defeat, which saw them surrender top spot on the ladder to Newcastle.
But with the best attacking and defensive record in the competition, they remain arguably the most feared team around and can still claim the minor premiership if they win in Round 9 and the Knights lose, while a defeat for the Tricolours could see them drop another spot to third.
After picking up two wins in the opening month, the Cowboys are now limping to the finish line in their maiden NRLW season, with their own hefty injury toll not helping through a run of four straight defeats.
In those four consecutive losses they’ve given up 34.5 points per game on average and after eight games have missed more tackles than any other side.
The Roosters lost 16-10 to the Dragons in their only previous visit to Netstrata Jubilee Stadium back in 2021, while North Queensland were 16-12 losers to the Eels there back in Round 6.
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Team News
Roosters: No late changes on game day after Millie Boyle (shoulder) and Keeley Davis (hamstring) dropped out on Friday with Mya Hill-Moana joining the starting side at prop and Joeli Morris promoted to hooker. Isabelle Kelly will play after undergoing concussion protocols this week while Tyler Bentley and Millicent Scutt come into the side for NRLW debuts. Mia Wood and Kalosipani Hopoate are the new faces on the bench.
Cowboys: A late change on game day sees winger Vitalina Naikore ruled out with Mia Middleton coming into the starting side and Sareka Mooka joining the bench. Fran Goldthorp dropped out of the squad on Friday night after suffering an elbow injury last week, so Jetaya Faifua comes into the run-on side at fullback after originally being named on the bench. Alisha Foord is the new addition to the interchange.
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Stat Attack
- New Tricolours signing Tarryn Aiken leads the competition in both try assists (8) and line break assists (12) this year.
- Thanks to the accurate boot of Kirra Dibb, the Cowboys boast the best conversion rate in the NRLW, with successful kicks 73 percent of the time.