North Queensland Toyota Cowboys coach Paul Green will take his named 17 into tonight’s National Rugby League preliminary final against the Sydney Roosters at Allianz Stadium.
The Cowboys are one win away from a second grand final appearance in three years after back-to-back finals wins against Cronulla and Parramatta over the past fortnight.
The winner of tonight’s game will play the Melbourne Storm in the 2017 NRL Telstra Premiership decider at ANZ Stadium next Sunday.
The Storm rolled the Broncos 30-0 in Friday’s first preliminary final at AAMI Park.
Green will go with the 17 players named on Tuesday, with Shaun Fensom to start in the front row and John Asiata moving to the interchange bench.
Gavin Cooper will again captain the team, while winger Antonio Winterstein will play his 150th game for the Cowboys.
Veteran Matt Scott will not play tonight after being named in the extended 21-man squad on Tuesday.
Scott is at the tail-end of recovery from a knee reconstruction and has missed all but two games of the 2017 season.
During the week, head coach Green said Scott would only play this weekend if a player in the 17-man team was a late scratching due to injury.
Winterstein (ribs), Coen Hess (knee) and Asiata (hand) will all take their places in the side tonight.
The match kicks off at 7.40pm.
COWBOYS: 1. Lachlan Coote, 2. Kyle Feldt, 3. Justin O’Neill, 4. Kane Linnett, 5. Antonio Winterstein, 6. Te Maire Martin, 7. Michael Morgan, 17. Shaun Fensom, 9. Jake Granville, 10. Scott Bolton, 11. Gavin Cooper (c), 12. Ethan Lowe, 13. Jason Taumalolo. Interchange: 8. John Asiata, 14. Ben Hampton, 15. Coen Hess, 16. Corey Jensen.
ROOSTERS: 1. Michael Gordon, 3. Latrell Mitchell, 14. Ryan Matterson, 4. Mitchell Aubusson, 5. Blake Ferguson, 6. Luke Keary, 7. Mitchell Pearce, 8. Jared Waerea-Hargreaves, 9. Jake Friend (c), 10. Dylan Napa, 11. Boyd Cordner (c), 12. Aidan Guerra, 13. Isaac Liu. Interchange: 2. Daniel Tupou, 15. Siosiua Taukeiaho, 16. Zane Tetevano, 17. Connor Watson.
