It seems the team that wins together, stays together, with North Queensland Toyota Cowboys head coach Paul Green naming an unchanged 17 for Thursday’s Round 11 match against the Sharks in Sydney.
Green has named the same 17 players who combined to beat the Bulldogs last start, with the only change to the wider 21-man squad coming in the form of Johnathan Thurston in for Blake Leary, as Cowboys coaching and medical staff continue to monitor the champion half’s injury status.
Thurston hurt his shoulder while playing for the Kangaroos in the Anzac Test earlier this month, the injury forcing him out of the team that played the Bulldogs at ANZ Stadium last Thursday while he continues his rehab.
The six-win, four-loss Cowboys currently sit in sixth place on the National Rugby League ladder and are chasing back-to-back wins for the third time this season when they visit the defending premiers.
The Sharks boast an impressive 7-3 record after 10 matches and sit in second place on the ladder, one win adrift of competition front-runners Melbourne.
North Queensland Toyota Cowboys v Cronulla Sharks
Round 11, 2017 NRL Telstra Premiership
7.50pm, Thursday 18 May, Southern Cross Group Stadium
Broadcast: Channel 9 (live), 4TOFM, Twitter @nthqldcowboys
#NRLSharksCowboys #ridemcowboys
1. Lachlan Coote
2. Kyle Feldt
3. Justin O’Neill
4. Kane Linnett
5. Antonio Winterstein
6. Michael Morgan
7. Ray Thompson
8. John Asiata
9. Jake Granville
10. Scott Bolton
11. Gavin Cooper (c)
12. Ethan Lowe
13. Jason Taumalolo
Interchange:
14. Ben Hampton
15. Coen Hess
16. Shaun Fensom
17. Ben Spina
Reserves:
18. Kyle Laybutt
19. Johnathan Thurston
20. Corey Jensen
21. Kalyn Ponga
Coach: Paul Green