6.30pm: TEAM LISTS – Cowboys v Broncos
Injuries have forced the Toyota Cowboys to make two changes to their squad of 17 for the Queensland derby against Brisbane Broncos at 1300SMILES Stadium tonight.
Country Origin back-rower Tariq Sims has succumbed to an ankle injury sustained last weekend and will not play tonight, with his spot in the starting pack to be taken by Scott Bolton.
Ethan Lowe comes on to the interchange bench.
It will be Bolton’s first appearance in the run-on team this season and Lowe’s third NRL match of his career after making his debut in 2013.
Robert Lui returns to the NRL squad in the halves after the Cowboys decided not to risk Ray Thompson who suffered a medial ligament injury against Parramatta in round eight.
Meanwhile, Cameron King will become Cowboy No.244 when he makes his debut for North Queensland off the bench as the back-up dummy-half.
Sidelined by a knee injury for most of the season, the hooker has had three matches back with the Northern Pride in the Intrust Super Cup to regain his match fitness.
A former Junior Kangaroo, King came to the Cowboys at the end of the 2013 season after playing 11 NRL matches with St George Illawarra.
The 12th-placed Cowboys will come up against a Broncos squad still sitting in the top eight despite losing three of their last four matches, including a two-point defeat against South Sydney in their last start.
Tonight’s clash will kick off at 7.40pm.
COWBOYS: 1 Michael Morgan, 2 Matthew Wright, 3 Brent Tate, 4 Kane Linnett, 5 Curtis Rona, 6 Johnathan Thurston (c), 19 Robert Lui, 8 Matt Scott (c), 9 Rory Kostjasyn, 10 James Tamou, 11 Gavin Cooper, 12 Jason Taumalolo, 17 Scott Bolton. Interchange: 14 Cameron King, 15 Glenn Hall, 16 Ashton Sims, 23 Ethan Lowe.
BRONCOS: 1 Ben Barba, 2 Daniel Vidot, 3 Jack Reed, 4 Justin Hodges (c), 5 Dale Copley, 6 Josh Hoffman, 7 Ben Hunt, 8 Josh McGuire, 9 Andrew McCullough, 10 Martin Kennedy, 11 Alex Glenn, 12 Corey Parker (c), 13 Matt Gillett. Interchange: 14 David Hala, 15 Jarrod Wallace, 17 Corey Oates, 18 Todd Lowrie.
