- 1 Dolphins vs Cowboys: Redcliffe are due a response
- 2 The Dolphins still know how to win
- 3 The Cowboys have every reason to fancy it, but the defence is the problem
- 4 NRL prediction Dolphins vs Cowboys
- 5 First, a quick word on our picks
- 6 No commitment from us
- 7 Information changes
- 8 Your responsibility
- 9 Responsible gambling first
- 10 Legal age
- 11 About the images…
Dolphins vs Cowboys: Redcliffe are due a response 
66-0. That was the beating the Dolphins took from Cronulla last week, the worst loss in the club’s history.
But that side had little in common with the real thing. Tabuai-Fidow, Cobbo, Bostock, Flegler: all the Origin guys were out, and all of them are back on Sunday.
Across the way, the Cowboys head to Suncorp Stadium on the back of two straight wins and back inside the Top 8. No point dressing it up: this is Sunday’s trickiest fixture.
The Dolphins still know how to win 
Before the Origin period, Redcliffe were on an eight-game winning streak. Eight. Last week’s hiding by the Sharks can’t just be blamed on missing bodies. It was a sharp reminder for the Dolphins, who badly need a response against a direct rival with their Top 8 spot far from secure.
The return of Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow changes everything at the back, while Selwyn Cobbo comes in fresh from a strong Origin series. The winger has scored at least two tries in three of his last four club games.
Thomas Flegler and Max Plath add steel to a pack that was steamrollered by the Sharks. The real concern is the absence of Isaiya Katoa, with the Nikorima-Schneider pairing still short of structure when it comes to kicking play.
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The Cowboys have every reason to fancy it, but the defence is the problem 
North Queensland arrive in decent nick: 26-12 against Penrith, then a 19-18 golden-point win over Manly.
Scott Drinkwater slotted the winner and remains the heartbeat of this attack. Tom Dearden is among the reserves and could return from syndesmosis trouble, which would give their build-up a very different look.
After a patchy run, the Cowboys will be keen to back up against a direct rival in the race for the Top 8.
The issue is at the other end. Over their last five games, the Cowboys are averaging 18.2 points scored and 26.8 conceded, and they have shipped at least 40 points in each of their last three meetings with the Dolphins.
To leave Redcliffe with anything, the Cowboys need to avoid slipping back into the habits that haunted them before State of Origin, when the defence looked alarmingly soft, including that 14-40 hammering against the … Dolphins.
[bet365_cta]
NRL prediction Dolphins vs Cowboys
Dolphins handicap -4.5
The Dolphins have beaten the Cowboys in each of their last four meetings, averaging 42.25 points a game in the process. 40-14 earlier this season, 43-24 and 58-4 last year: the trend is impossible to ignore.
Last week’s 66-0 collapse was a blip, not a diagnosis. A team that strings together eight wins does not suddenly turn useless in seven days, it just loses its best players for a month.
Redcliffe are at home, get key men back and face an opponent that has been leaking tries out wide for three meetings running. The 4.5-point handicap looks a fair play.
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