Friday night footy, Panthers vs Cowboys preview, May 4

7.55pm Friday May 4, 2018, at Carrington Stadium

ONE team is flying towards the top of the ladder while the other is languishing and in desperate need of wins. It makes Friday night’s game between the Penrith Panthers and the North Queensland Cowboys one of the matches of the round.

While the Panthers have made slow starts and fast finishes their 2018 trademark, few could argue with the results they are producing.

Anthony Griffin’s men did what they had to do against the lowly Canterbury Bulldogs, crossing the line two times to nil in the second half to record a come-from-behind victory. While the coach would rather the team perform consistently across the 80 minutes, he has to be happy with his side’s start to the season.

the North Queensland Cowboys went into last weekend’s crunch game against the Raiders favoured to win, but their performance was nothing short of dismal.

The Cowboys were smashed at home by the fellow struggling Raiders, scoring just one try for the entirely of the match while conceding three of their own. The loss leaves them in dire need of victories with a 2-6 record.

Friday night is suddenly borders as a must-win match, but if North Queensland cannot beat the Panthers is the season ready to be written off?

Players to watch – Panthers v Cowboys

Panthers – James Maloney: James Maloney is carrying his team on his back and with up to 10 top-line teammates potentially on the sidelines for Friday night’s clash. Coach Anthony Griffiths praised the stand-in skipper for his leadership on the park, and he will play a huge role this round.

Cowboys – Johnathan Thurston: JT hasn’t lost any of the magic this season, but why his team cannot translate this into wins is anyone’s guess. Thurston is second in the league for try assists and third for line break assists, so we feel its only a matter of time before his teammates pick up the slack.

Panthers team

1 Dallin Watene-Zelezniak, 2 Christian Crichton, 3 Isaah Yeo, 4 Dean Whare, 5 Tyrone Phillips, 6 Tyrone Peachey, 7 James Maloney, 8 Trent Merrin, 9 Peter Wallace, 10 Reagan Campbell-Gillard, 11 Viliame Kikau, 12 Corey Harawira-Naera, 13 James Fisher-Harris

Interchange: 14 Sione Katoa, 15 Jack Hetherington, 16 Moses Leota, 17 James Tamou

Cowboys team

1 Lachlan Coote, 2 Kyle Feldt, 3 Justin O’Neill, 4 Ben Hampton, 5 Antonio Winterstein, 6 Michael Morgan, 7 Johnathan Thurston (c), 8 Matthew Scott (c), 9 Jake Granville, 10 Scott Bolton, 11 Gavin Cooper, 12 Coen Hess, 13 Jason Taumalolo

Interchange: 14 Te Maire Martin, 15 Shaun Fensom, 16 Corey Jensen, 17 Ethan Lowe

Panthers v Cowboys – who will win?

Can the Cowboys get back on track or will the Panthers extinguish the North Queensland’s finals flame?

The Panthers have been brilliant throughout 2018 to date, led powerful forward pack and the stand-in skipper James Maloney, who has marshaled the troops with aplomb.

The odds are heavily weighted in the home side’s favour heading into Friday night.

The Panthers are undefeated at home while the Cowboys are yet to win on the road. It bodes well for a strong home win for the Penrith Panthers, who should have too many attacking options for the struggling Cowboys.

Tip:Penrith Panthers 1-12 at $3.10 with Sportsbet.com.au