Wests Tigers season is slipping away after falling to a sixth straight loss and Benji Marshall's men have another tough trip ahead as they prepare meet with a North Queensland outfit buoyed by their first win since Round 5.
It was far from the performance Todd Payten knows his side is capable of but there will be a new sense of hope in the air at training this week after the Cowboys snapped a five-game losing streak with a gritty 28-22 win over the Rabbitohs in Magic Round.
An honest and open Payten admitted to the toll that the last few weeks have had on both him and the team but having finally got the losing monkey off their backs, will be desperate to prove it wasn't a one off.
The Wests Tigers, meanwhile, continue to beat themselves with ill-discipline and errors after going down to the Dolphins 24-12 in Magic Round.
Their seventh-straight loss on Sunday was compounded by dangerous contact charges to centre duo Brent Naden and Justin Olam, who have both been banned for one match.
With English forward John Bateman also sidelined with a pec injury, Benji Marshall will once again look to young stars Lachlan Galvin and Jahream Bula and star skipper Api Koroisa to spring his side to a Round 12 upset.
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Team News
Cowboys: Kyle Feldt joined the side on Thursday after missing last week's clash with an ankle injury. His inclusion sees last week's club debutant Braidon Burns drop out of the side in the only change to the team that beat the Rabbitohs at Magic Round. Jaxon Purdue drops out of the squad with Harrison Edwards the replacement player.
Wests Tigers: In a late change, Justin Matamua will start from the bench, with Alex Twal promoted to the starting side as lock. Declan Casey and Josh Feledy are the new faces in the backline for the injury-hit Wests Tigers, who have stayed north of the border in Queensland in the lead-up to the game following their Magic Round defeat to the Dolphins. Sione Fainu drops out of the squad with Alex Lobb the replacement player.
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Stat Attack
- The Cowboys have won only two of their last six games at Queensland Country Bank Stadium.
- Wests Tigers have won only two of their past 12 games at Queensland venues.
- Cowboys winger Murray Taulagi has scored seven tries in his last five games against the Tigers.
- Wests Tigers have scored over 17 points in a game only once this season.
- Cowboys coach Todd Payten will reach the milestone of 100 games as NRL head coach.
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Stats supplied by David Middleton, League Information Services, author of the .