Warriors vs Cowboys NRL Friday betting tips – Round 5, 2022

The New Zealand Warriors will host the North Queensland Cowboys this Friday night at their substitute home, Moreton Daily Stadium, with both teams having vastly different starts to the season. New Zealand have been supported well in early markets, backed in from $2.05 to $1.82 at Marantelli Bet, pushing the Cowboys from $1.78 to $2. These two are evenly split in the head-to-head count, as the Cowboys have won 20 games from 39 starts.

In three of their last five meetings, it’s been the outsider winning the contest by a margin shorter than 12 points. However, you should not blindly follow the outsider in this encounter. The Cowboys were belted by the Roosters last week at home, while the Warriors have won two on the trot and stay at home to chase a third-straight win.

The Warriors are the safest play in win markets with the top NRL betting sites as Shaun Johnson continues his return to first grade in the spine with Chanel Harris-Tavita and Reece Walsh. The Cowboys face more disruption in their spine as Scott Drinkwater replaces the injured Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow at fullback. Following recent trends in recent matches, the Warriors are the best bet to win by a margin of 1-12 points.

While two of the last five matches between the two clubs have resulted in total match points going over the set totals, lower-scoring matches and predicted rain for Redcliffe on Friday all point to the total points for the match being below 36.5.

The Warriors favoured their right-edge attack last week through halfback Johnson and Jesse Arthars. On the wing is rookie Edward Kosi, and with only one try in six first-grade games, he will be looking to add to his total. The left-edge defence of the Cowboys will be on high alert for Arthars, providing excellent value for Kosi to score at any time during the match at $2.25.

Key matchup: Reece Walsh vs Scott Drinkwater

Making his first appearance for the season, Scott Drinkwater will have to find his rhythm quickly on Friday if he is to outplay his opposite number. In three matches Reece Walsh has recorded two try assists, two line-breaks and a whopping 16 tackle busts. Walsh also averages 175 running metres so far this season, a figure comparative to elite fullbacks of the NRL. Drinkwater will need to find every bit of speed and stamina he can in order to create time and space outside of halves Chad Townsend and Tom Dearden, which in turn should create tries for the Cowboys. This seems a bridge too far for Drinkwater, putting Walsh in the pilot seat to win this matchup.

Warriors vs Cowboys predictions & same-game multi

The Warriors should see three wins on the trot, two at their home-from-home in Redcliffe, by a margin of 1-12 points. This match should fall below the total match points of 36.5 in weather predicted to make attacking Rugby League difficult. While there may not be many tries in this match, Edward Kosi will score the second of his career at any time during the match.

More NRL betting tips