Cowboys vs Eels PF betting tips & value bets – NRL Finals 2022

The 2022 NRL finals series continues this Friday night with the North Queensland Cowboys hosting the Parramatta Eels at Queensland Country Bank Stadium in Townsville. One of these sides will be booking their tickets for the 2022 NRL Grand Final in Sydney on the first Sunday of October. The Eels have not played in a decider since 2009, and they haven’t won a competition since 1986.

The Cowboys have a much stronger form guide in recent years, having won the 2015 Grand Final against the Brisbane Broncos and fighting from eighth position on the ladder in 2017 to play in another. Could this be another premiership for the Cowboys? Or will it be another Cinderella story that falls on the last hurdle?

The Eels come into this preliminary final in red-hot form having thumped the Canberra Raiders last weekend in Parramatta, while the Cowboys have had an additional week to prepare after beating Cronulla in Sydney a fortnight ago.

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The Eels are also facing losing centre Tom Opacic to a hamstring injury, with no confirmation on whether Marata Niukore, Bailey Simonsson or even Bryce Cartwright will come into the starting side, and who will be the replacement on the bench.

The Cowboys have the luxury of naming a full-strength side with no known injuries to report and look very hard to beat returning to their home ground. While it is unlikely the Cowboys will blow out the Eels and put on a huge score, they should cover the -2.5 point line safely.

The last time these two sides met, the Cowboys found a very clear weakness in the Eels defence and exploited it incredibly well. Waqa Blake’s form on the Parramatta left has improved in recent weeks, but Kyle Feldt and the Cowboys right edge is too good an attack to not score this Friday. Feldt is every chance of scoring two or more tries on the evening, paying $6.25 with BetOnline.

Given the Cowboys have had an extra week off, they have a full-strength side and they return to Townsville and their home fans, there’s every chance this match ends up being somewhat of a one-act affair. While it may not be a blowout score, the Cowboys should lead this from the start to the end, which brings to half-time/full-time double into play at $2.25.

Key matchup: Scott Drinkwater vs Clint Gutherson

The battle of these two fullbacks should be hotly contested with the predicted fast, dry track for Friday night. Clint Gutherson often finds himself getting through a mountain of work with his kick returns and support play but is also capable of the flashy tries and try assists that are found on highlight reels. It’s the workrate that’s important for Gutherson; if he can get through a large amount of work for the Eels, he will help put his side in positions to attack and win.

Scott Drinkwater, on the other hand, is all highlights. While the North Queensland star gets through his fair share of work, the ball-playing and attacking ability he possesses is among of the best in the NRL. Drinkwater can create points from kicks, long cut-out passes or off the back of his own running game and footwork. The Eels had better make sure they’re not caught defending on the back foot against Drinkwater, or else he will make them look very silly.

Cowboys vs Eels prelim final prediction

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