Cowboys v Titans NRL tips, odds & predictions | Round 5, 2024

North QLD Cowboys v Gold Coast Titans best bets

Round 5: Cowboys v Titans match preview

Sunday afternoon football for round five of the NRL Premiership kicks off in Townsville with the North Queensland Cowboys hosting the Gold Coast Titans at Queensland Country Bank Stadium.

The Cowboys were flying, with two of their three wins coming by more than 20 points, before suffering a big loss to the Broncos in Brisbane last Friday. Meanwhile, the Titans have scored the least number of points in attack, conceded the fourth most points in defence and lost their last three matches in a row.

Gold Coast Titans coach Des Hasler has made several changes to his side with injuries to Isaac Liu (concussion) and Phillip Sami (ankle), while Keenan Palasia has been dropped. Alofiana Khan-Pereira has been named in the reserves, and Harley Smith-Shields has been selected to make his Titans debut on the wing with Jojo Fifita. Jaimin Jolliffe starts in the front row, Erin Clark lines up at lock and Josiah Pahulu is set to make his NRL debut off the bench.

North Queensland Cowboys head coach Todd Payten has named an unchanged line-up following last weekend’s loss.

Cowboys v Titans R5 team lists

North Queensland Cowboys

1. Scott Drinkwater
2. Kyle Feldt
3. Valentine Holmes
4. Zac Laybutt
5. Murray Taulagi
6. Tom Dearden
7. Chad Townsend
8. Jordan McLean
9. Reece Robson
10. Jason Taumalolo
11. Kulikefu Finefeuiaki
12. Jeremiah Nanai
13. Reuben Cotter
14. Jake Granville
15. Griffin Neame
16. Sam McIntyre
17. Jack Gosiewski

Gold Coast Titans

1. Jayden Campbell
2. Harley Smith-Shields
3. Brian Kelly
4. AJ Brimson
5. Jojo Fifita
6. Kieran Foran
7. Tanah Boyd
8. Moeaki Fotuaika
9. Chris Randall
10. Jaimin Jolliffe
11. Klese Haas
12. Beau Fermor
13. Erin Clark
14. Sam Verrills
15. David Fifita
16. Joe Stimson
17. Josiah Pahulu

North Queensland Cowboys v Gold Coast Titans predictions

The Titans have been dreadful in 2024 following their win over the Bulldogs in round one, losing their last three games by a combined 72 points. The Cowboys have won 10 of their last 11 matches against the Titans in Townsville, while Gold Coast have failed to cover the line in seven of their last eight matches. The Cowboys will be expected to put in a commanding performance in front of their home fans as they cover the -17.5 handicap at $1.90.

Tom Dearden has thrived in his new role at Cowboys captain, recording five line breaks, 11 tackle breaks and three tries in four games. The former Bronco performs brilliantly against teams in the bottom four on the NRL ladder, having scored a try in each of his last six appearances against cellar-dwellers. At $2.70 with the top online bookmakers, Dearden is a great value bet to score a try at any time.

Cowboys centre Valentine Holmes has scored two tries this season on the back of two line breaks and a whopping 18 tackle breaks. He will be taking on his State of Origin colleague AJ Brimson, who is playing his first full year in the centres and has missed at least two tackles per game. Holmes is on a two-match tryscoring streak and looks like great value to extend that run at $2.35 with PlayUp.

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