North Queensland Toyota Cowboys head coach Paul Green has named his team for Friday’s trial match against the Melbourne Storm at Brisbane’s Suncorp Stadium.
Doubling as the long-awaited Johnathan Thurston-Cameron Smith Testimonial, the match will be the first between the sides since the 2017 grand final and features a host of players – on both sides – from that game.
The Cowboys have named a 19-man squad for the Friday night showdown, with 16 of those players having lined up against the Storm last October.
New Cowboys recruit Jordan McLean – named to start in the front row for the Suncorp blockbuster – also played in 2017 grand final, but for the Storm.
The Kangaroos representative came to the Cowboys in the off-season and Friday’s fixture will be the first hitout for his new club.
Also named are Cowboys co-captain Thurston and Matt Scott, the pair returning to footy last weekend in Cairns against the Tigers. Both men played limited minutes in their returns from serious injury.
Getting their first taste of rugby league for the year will be a host of 2017 grand final team members, including Maroons and Kangaroos star Michael Morgan, Tonga wrecking ball Jason Taumalolo and 2017 grand final skipper Gavin Cooper.
The game kicks off at 7pm (Qld) on Friday.
Cowboys team:
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. Jordan McLean
11. Gavin Cooper
12. Ethan Lowe
13. Jason Taumalolo
14. Ben Hampton
15. Coen Hess
16. Scott Bolton
17. John Asiata
18. Corey Jensen
19. Te Maire Martin
Coach: Paul Green
