Another Sunday afternoon match awaits the Sydney Roosters, who will host the North Queensland Cowboys in the NRL’s annual festival of football at Suncorp Stadium for the second time.
Recent History: Sydney Roosters vs North Queensland Cowboys
The Roosters crushed the Cowboys twice in 2022, piling on a total of 60-points against their Queensland-based counterparts and will be searching for a similar result this Sunday.
Magic Round marks the 40th time the two sides have gone head-to-head since 1998, with the Roosters holding a 27-12 advantage, having not dropped a game since 2019.
In their last contest, the Roosters claimed a 32-18 win at the Sydney Cricket Ground. Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii got the Tricolours off to a flying start with a try in the third minute while Jared Waerea-Hargreaves ignited the field with one try and 180 run metres in his 35-minute stint.
Round 22 Highlights: Roosters vs Cowboys
How They Line Up
Trent Robinson has retained the majority of the side that defeated the New Zealand Warriors last Sunday afternoon.
Drew Hutchison slots into the centres, replacing Paul Momirovski who sustained a shoulder injury in Round 9, while representative forward Jared Waerea-Hargreaves returns to the starting side at prop.
James Tedesco will once again lead from fullback this week. Joining the captain in the back line are wingers Corey Allan and Jaxson Paulo and centres Hutchison and Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii.
Joseph Manu and Luke Keary unite in the halves, with Waerea-Hargreaves making his return in the forwards alongside Brandon Smith and Lindsay Collins.
The back-row remains intact with Egan and Nat Butcher in no.11 and no.12, while Victor Radley completes the side at lock.
The interchange bench features Turpin, Angus Crichton, Sitili Tupouniua and Matt Lodge. Fletcher Baker has been named as the 18th man and Sam Walker, Tuipulotu Katoa, Billy Smith and Nathan Brown round out the line-up on the extended bench.
Match: Roosters v Cowboys
Round 10 -
home Team
Roosters
away Team
Cowboys
Team Lists
Backs
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Fullback for Roosters is number 1 James TedescoFullback for Cowboys is number 1 Scott Drinkwater
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Winger for Roosters is number 2 Corey AllanWinger for Cowboys is number 2 Kyle Feldt
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Centre for Roosters is number 3 Joseph-Aukuso SuaaliiCentre for Cowboys is number 3 Valentine Holmes
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Centre for Roosters is number 21 Billy SmithCentre for Cowboys is number 4 Peta Hiku
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Winger for Roosters is number 5 Jaxson PauloWinger for Cowboys is number 5 Murray Taulagi
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Five-Eighth for Roosters is number 6 Joseph ManuFive-Eighth for Cowboys is number 6 Tom Dearden
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Halfback for Roosters is number 7 Luke KearyHalfback for Cowboys is number 7 Chad Townsend
Forwards
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Prop for Roosters is number 10 Lindsay CollinsProp for Cowboys is number 8 Jordan McLean
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Hooker for Roosters is number 9 Brandon SmithHooker for Cowboys is number 9 Reece Robson
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Prop for Roosters is number 17 Matthew LodgeProp for Cowboys is number 10 Coen Hess
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2nd Row for Roosters is number 11 Egan Butcher2nd Row for Cowboys is number 11 Heilum Luki
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2nd Row for Roosters is number 12 Nat Butcher2nd Row for Cowboys is number 12 Jack Gosiewski
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Lock for Roosters is number 13 Victor RadleyLock for Cowboys is number 13 Reuben Cotter
Interchange
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Interchange for Roosters is number 4 Drew HutchisonInterchange for Cowboys is number 14 Jake Granville
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Interchange for Roosters is number 8 Jared Waerea-HargreavesInterchange for Cowboys is number 15 Mitchell Dunn
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Interchange for Roosters is number 15 Angus CrichtonInterchange for Cowboys is number 16 Jamayne Taunoa-Brown
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Interchange for Roosters is number 16 Sitili TupouniuaInterchange for Cowboys is number 17 Kulikefu Finefeuiaki
Reserves
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Replacement for Roosters is number 14 Jake TurpinReplacement for Cowboys is number 19 Ben Hampton
Match Officials
- Referee: Ashley Klein
- Touch Judge: Kasey Badger
- Touch Judge: Drew Oultram
- Senior Review Official: Grant Atkins
Last updated:
Cowboys coach Todd Payten has been forced to make changes to his side after losing Jeremiah Nanai to a four-match suspension and Tom Chester to a suspected ACL injury.
Heilum Luki, who recently recovered from a hamstring injury will replace Nanai in the second row, while Kulikefu Finefeuiaki slots onto the interchange bench.
Key Match Up: Victor Radley vs Reuben Cotter
Two international representative forwards go head-to-head in the middle of the field on Sunday afternoon when Victor Radley meets Reuben Cotter.
Both one-Club players born in 1998, the two began their rugby league careers playing hooker before locking down the no.13 jersey.
Bringing versatility to the forward pack, both Radley and Cotter have both been selected in Origin squads throughout their careers – setting up an intriguing NSW vs Queensland personal battle in the middle.
So far this season, Radley has crossed for one try and broke eight tackles in seven appearances, averaging 87 run metres per match. While his counterpart has also claimed one four-pointer and averages 132 run metres per game.
With plenty of mouth-watering matchups on show during Magic Round, keep your eyes on the battle between Radley and Cotter come 4:00pm on Sunday.
What They Said
"It’s a good weekend, Magic Round, we always get full crowds there and it’s a good atmosphere. It should be good." – Lindsay Collins
"Any team can show up and [perform] on any day so we’ve got to look towards that and look at them [the Cowboys] at their best." – Jaxson Paulo
"It’s my first Magic Round and I can’t wait to get a full house at Suncorp and play their on Sunday afternoon." – Egan Butcher
Final Verdict
The Roosters will be riding a wave of momentum into this week’s match after winning back-to-back games last week, while the Cowboys will be seeking redemption following their Round 9 loss.
Although history has favoured the Roosters, the Magic Round atmosphere has the ability to lift every team, as fans from across Australia flock to Suncorp Stadium to show their support.
There are limited tickets remaining for Magic Round, secure yours now to avoid missing out! If you can’t make it to Brisbane, be sure to attend Easts Bondi Junction – where you can watch the game live from Artie’s Bar.
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