Saturday, Dairy Farmers Stadium, 7.30pm

Referee: Bernard Sutton

The Cowboys might be 10 points below the Titans on the competition table, but they have the ascendancy going into this match.

The Cowboys broke a 13-game losing streak when they whipped the Bulldogs 36-12 last weekend and now they get superstar halfback Johnathan Thurston back from injury.

The Cowboys had been playing with a lot of enthusiasm despite losing regularly and that win over the Bulldogs has given them a great opportunity to avoid the wooden spoon after they looked certainties to collect it a few weeks ago.

They will seek to dominate this game from the start by playing at high speed and looking to get the ball wide while the defence is on the back foot. It will take a huge effort from the Titans to keep them in check.

The Titans have been trying hard, but with all of their injuries they really began to struggle a few rounds back.

They start matches keenly, but as soon as they fall behind they drop their heads. The return of Mat Rogers at five-eighth will certainly help Gold Coast. They have struggled for options with both him and Scott Prince out.
But it is going to take an enormous defensive effort from the Titans for them to have any chance of competing with North Queensland and it is unlikely they have got 80 minutes of that in them at this stage of their campaign.