Three Rugby League World Cup-winning Toyota Cowboys will make their first appearance of the year for North Queensland in Saturday’s NRL pre-season trial against Gold Coast Titans in Toowoomba.
It will be the only hit out for co-captains Johnathan Thurston and Matt Scott, as well as outside back Brent Tate, before the Cowboys kick off their 2014 NRL season against Canberra at 1300SMILES Stadium on 8 March.
They’ve been named in a 20-man Cowboys squad that includes 12 players who were part of the historic NRL Auckland Nines victory at Eden Park on Sunday.
Nines skipper Gavin Cooper has been rested along with Curtis Rona and Rory Kostjasyn, who picked up minor injuries at the weekend.
With Lachlan Coote sidelined after undergoing his knee reconstruction surgery today, coach Paul Green will have a look at a number of players at fullback including new signing Matthew Wright and young guns Zac Santo and Javid Bowen.
Scott Bolton, Glenn Hall, Cameron King, Ashton Sims and Wright will back up from playing in the Northern Pride v Mackay Cutters trial in Townsville on Saturday night.
Saturday’s match at Clive Berghofer Oval kicks off at 6.30pm.
The Cowboys squad will meet their Darling Downs members and fans at Toowoomba Toyota from 4.30pm to 5.30pm on Friday.
COWBOYS SQUAD: Scott Bolton, Javid Bowen, Kyle Feldt, Glenn Hall, Cameron King, Kane Linnett, Robert Lui, Michael Morgan, Joel Riethmuller, Zac Santo, Matt Scott (c), Ashton Sims, Tariq Sims, James Tamou, Brent Tate, Jason Taumalolo, Ray Thompson, Johnathan Thurston (c), Antonio Winterstein, Matthew Wright.
