NRL Round 20 Preview and Prediction - North Queensland Cowboys v New Zealand Warriors @ 1300 Smiles Stadium

North Queensland Cowboys (6th) v New Zealand Warriors (11th) - 1300 Smiles Stadium
 
Preview - The Cowboys are shooting for 4-straight wins when they tackle the downtrodden New Zealand Warriors in Townsville on Saturday night. Many people wrote the Cowboys off after Johnathan Thurston was ruled out for the season, however they have responded with 3-straight outstanding wins against the Panthers, Raiders and Rabbits to keep their Top 4 chances alive. Whilst their 23-10 victory over Souths wasn't the prettiest game, the Cowboys defended stoutly again and were in control of the game throughout the 80 minutes. The Warriors, once again, put in a shocking performance just when they looked to be building something, as they collapsed against the Panthers for the second time this season, falling to a 34-22 defeat at home. The Warriors are now staring right down the barrel of a 6th straight season outside the finals, and continue to be perhaps the biggest underachiever in the NRL. 
 
History - The last time these two teams met was back in Round 24 of last season when the Warriors came to Townsville and were duly whacked 34-6. The Warriors have a dreadful record in Townsville, having won just 1 from their last 11 games at the venue. The overall history between the two Clubs is much more even, with both sides having won 18 games from 36 clashes. 
 
North Queensland Cowboys’ Scouting Report - The Cowboys are unchanged from the side that knocked over Souths convincingly in Cairns last week. Their spine players of Coote, Morgan and Granville have really stepped up in the absence of Johnathan Thurston after quiet starts to the season. Coen Hess continues to be a wrecking ball on the edge, adding another try to his tally last week. 
 
New Zealand Warriors’ Scouting Report - The Warriors have lost Shaun Johnson for an extended period with a PCL injury to his knee. It is a hammer blow for the Warriors who have really struggled to be competitive without Johnson in the past. Mason Lino comes in at halfback tone paired with Kieran Foran. I think Foran’s form has been poor the past 6 weeks and he really needs to lift in the absence of the dynamic Johnson. 
 
Verdict - Cowboys by 18+ 

I can't see anything other than a big win for the Cowboys here at home. The Warriors were shocking at home last week, considering what was at stake, and the loss of Shaun Johnson usually signifies the end of their season. Johnson missed the last 7 games of the year previously and the Warriors failed to win once, and I just think their attack will fall in a real hole without the pace and vision of Johnson. Their defence is awful and the Cowboys have some really crafty players around the ruck that can expose some of the Warriors’ forwards when they get tired. The Warriors’ record in Australia has been awful this year, and the long trip to North Queensland with their finals hopes looking down and dusted has all the signs of a hiding for me. I think the Cowboys will score 30+ in this game and might even score 40+ as they keep the roll going, looking to crack into that Top 4.