North Queensland Toyota Cowboys head coach Paul Green has named his Round 1 squad to host the Raiders at 1300SMILES Stadium on Saturday.
The Cowboys will be looking to start their season off strongly against 2016 finalists Canberra in their first taste of NRL Telstra Premiership action for 2017.
Their 21-man squad includes young forwards Coen Hess, Patrick Kaufusi and Sam Hoare, while Ben Hampton is set to make his debut for the club.
Under new NRL team release guidelines, Green’s squad will be reduced to 19 players 24 hours before the game, with the final 17 released an hour before kick-off at 6pm.
All teams will draw their final 17-player lineups from the initial squads named each Tuesday prior to the round, as part of an NRL-led drive to increase fan engagement in team selections and to provide greater clarity around what team will line up on game day.
Clubs wishing to select a player from outside the 21-man squad will need to seek approval from the league.
North Queensland Toyota Cowboys v Canberra Raiders
Round 1, 2017 NRL Telstra Premiership
6pm Qld, Saturday 4 March, 1300SMILES Stadium
Tickets – ticketek.com.au
1. Lachlan Coote
2. Kyle Feldt
3. Justin O’Neill
4. Kane Linnett
5. Antonio Winterstein
6. Michael Morgan
7. Johnathan Thurston (c)
8. Matthew Scott (c)
9. Jake Granville
10. Scott Bolton
11. Gavin Cooper
12. Ethan Lowe
13. Jason Taumalolo
14. Ben Hampton
15. John Asiata
16. Coen Hess
17. Patrick Kaufusi
18. Sam Hoare
19. Gideon Gela-Mosby
20. Javid Bowen
21. Kalyn Ponga
Coach: Paul Green
