NRL Round 6 Preview - Cowboys v Bulldogs @ 1300 Smiles Stadium

North Queensland Cowboys v Canterbury Bulldogs @ 1300 Smiles Stadium
 
Preview – It’s the battle of two desperate 1-4 teams as the Cowboys host the Bulldogs at 1300 Smiles Stadium on Saturday night. The hosts have slumped to an alarming 4 straight losses after going down 22-12 to the Warriors in the Auckland double header on Saturday night. The Bulldogs were extremely disappointing in going down 24-10 to an injury hit Raiders’ side in Canberra, as new Coach Dean Pay struggles to find answers in attack to halt a worrying slide towards the bottom of the table. 
 
North Queensland Cowboys’ Scouting Report - Paul Green has shaken things up with the experienced Lachlan Coote returning to the top grade at fullback. Ben Hampton switches to centre with Javid Bowen dropping out of the side altogether. Expect a reaction from Johnathan Thurston this week after some heavy criticism of his early season form where he has looked well off the pace. 
 
Canterbury Bulldogs’ Scouting Report - Despite a 1-4 start to the season, Dean Pay has named an unchanged side pending Josh Jackson’s trip to the judiciary. Aaron Woods has experienced a poor start to the season, performing sluggishly for his new Club.  Rhyse Martin and Renouf To’omaga have been named on the reserves as cover.
 
Verdict - Cowboys by 1-8

I could not tip the Bulldogs to beat anyone at the moment as I think they are a side with a lot of problems. The Cowboys are struggling mightily themselves, however this looks like the sort of game where they can slowly bring themselves back to form. The Bulldogs are not getting enough out of their forward pack on paper, and their attack looks slow and predictable. While the Cowboys are struggling, you would expect the likes of Thurston to get better, especially after some stinging criticism of his form last week. I expect the Cowboys to win but I don' t think it will be pretty.