NRL Round 22 Preview and Prediction - North Queensland Cowboys v Melbourne Storm @ 1300 Smiles Stadium

 North Queensland Cowboys (7th) v Melbourne Storm (1st) @ 1300 Smiles Stadium
 
Preview - The Cowboys will be looking to bounce back from their loss to the Roosters when they host the ladder-leading Storm at 1300 Smiles Stadium in Townsville on Friday night. The Cowboys went close to upsetting the Roosters in a blockbuster game at Allianz Stadium last week, however let a 16-6 lead slip to a 22-16 defeat which saw them drop to 7th place on the ladder. The Cowboys have now lost 5 from 5 against fellow Top 8 teams without Thurston and Scott this year, compared to their perfect 7 from 7 win record without the pair against teams outside of the Top 8. The Storm outlined once again why they are the clear favourites to win the competition with an emphatic 40-6 trouncing of Manly at AAMI Park last Sunday. The Storm do milestone games better than anyone, and Cameron Smith played a blinder in his 350th game, with the veteran hooker having a hand in 4 tries. 

History - These sides have already played a thriller this year with the Storm prevailing in Golden Point 23-22. Both sides were missing their Origin players back then so there should be added spice to this game tonight. The Storm generally enjoy playing the Cowboys having won at 1300 Smiles Stadium last year as well as holding a 24-10 win record over North Queensland in total. 
 
North Queensland Cowboys’ Scouting Report - The Cowboys welcome back veteran back rower Shaun Fensom who wins a spot on the interchange bench. After excelling without Johnathan Thurston in the past month, Michael Morgan looked a bit beat ups and sore last week as he struggled against the Roosters, so it will be interesting to see if he is 100% fit. Exciting young talent Kalyn Ponga has struggled to win a regular spot in the Cowboys’ first choice backline and is only named on an extended interchange bench. 
 
Melbourne Storm Scouting Report - The Storm welcome back Billy Slater after he missed last week’s big win over Manly through concussion. With Cameron Munster still out with an ankle injury, Riley Jacks retains his place in the halves alongside Cooper Cronk. The Storm's pack is further strengthened with the return of Jordan McLean to the interchange bench. 
 
Verdict - Storm by 6-14

The Storm, provided they are all fit, have too much quality for any side in the NRL at the moment, and I see them getting the job done again here, despite this being a traditionally tricky road trip for them. The Cowboys were really good in patches last week against the Roosters, however are yet to beat any sides in the Top 8 without Thurston or Scott, so I have to doubt their credentials to beat the Storm. Usually when these two teams clash they produce a cracker and I'm expecting nothing different here. The Storm could be a little vulnerable coming off a 5-day turn around and the fact that the Cowboys are more in need of a win than Melbourne. However, I still have to go for a Storm victory in what I think will be a high quality and relatively low scoring game.