FULLTIME: WARRIORS 23 - 16 COWBOYS: Warriors close out the win! They started the game like a house on fire, with Tuivasa-Sheck leading the way on his return. But they sat back in the second half, tackled their hearts out and managed to hold onto the win. They go back-to-back for the first time in a while.
80mins: Maumalo has the first carry and runs over the top of Granville up over halfway. Warriors making plenty of metres up the middle. Johnson sits back in the pocket, gets the ball and slots the game-sealing extra point.
78mins: Martin's grubber kick goes smack into Mannering but he didn't play at it so the Warriors get it back. They're keeping tight, taking it up the middle. Harris' kick is played at by Thurston for another Warriors set.
76mins: Paasi makes a strong run, one of the few from the Warriors this half. Luke finds open space with a great kick from dummy for the Cowboys to return. Martin's kick is tapped back by Feldt and Green knocks on for another Cowboys set.
74mins: Thurston finds Hess on the inside and he's tackled just short of the try line. Thurston grubbers through and RTS somehow beats Hampton to the ball and dots down to force the drop out. What a play by the skipper!
72mins: Green makes a great spot tackle on Taumalolo to stop the big man. Thurston tries the kick over the top but Hiku's well up to it and he hangs on for a Warriors set. Luke tries go quickly from dummy but knocks on. Warriors look very tired.
70mins: Johnson kicks for Bowen to return, he beats one but is well looked after in the second tackle. Linnett makes a strong run as the Cowboys take it up through Taumalolo straight after to win the penalty and takes it quickly!
68mins: Feldt feels the tackle on him was harsh, gives the ref a spray and he's instead penalised! Johnson will have the shot at goal. Lines it up and it's over.
66mins: Taumalolo has a crack from close out, Gavet dislodges the ball free for Thurston to simply pick it up and dive over for the try! No, we're checking upstairs and it's ruled Taumalolo knocked on. Close call.
64mins: Straight away the Cowboys are hot on attack once more. Thurston tries the chip over the top, Beale can't hang onto it but luckily Hiku cleans up to dot down and we'll have another drop out.
62mins: COWBOYS TRY - FELDT: Green's pass is held on too long, RTS can't hang onto it and Martin intercepts it and he's away! He's got Warriors' player closing in on him, he spots Feldt on his right, fires it over the top and he's in for the try. Game one!
60mins: Cowboys playing hot potato 10 metres out from the try line. Granville tries the grubber through and Jensen knocks on in his attempt to get the bouncing ball down for the try. Another close call.
58mins: Taumalolo has a charge and he's tackled a couple of metres short before Luke swarms Thurston, forcing him back. Thurston tries the grubber, Green taps it back, RTS gets it but is tackled in goal.
56mins: Linnett gets the inside ball but Hiku stands his ground, and puts him on the shoulder with a great tackle. Jensen has a crack and is just a metre out. Thurston's grubber is played at it by Luke for a fresh set of six before being awared the penalty.
54mins: Martin spots space behind RTS, tries the grubber through and Feldt gets his hand to it but knocks it on dead. Tough chance, but a chance nonetheless. Maumalo did enough to put the pressure on and force the error.
52mins: Cowboys swarm RTS after Mannering's pass and he's forced to take the tackle out wide. They switch direction, Green holds it up and he puts Kata in half a gap, he beats one tackle and oh my, he drops the ball cold over the try line. Wow. He's now hobbling over the sideline with a hamstring injury.
50mins: Afoa takes the hit up and spins out of the tackle and carries it out towards the 30m, great run. Taumalolo is pinged for being offside after some great fast play by Luke at dummy.
48mins: Green holds the ball nicely for Johnson to have a run but Thurston's on top of him straight away. Green's kick on the last is well taken in by Feldt. Molo tries running onto it but drops it cold with nobody around. Hiku draws the penalty and Johnson will have a crack at goal and he nails it.
46mins: Cowboys have a serious jump in their step now. Hampton has a crack and ALMOST goes clean through! He tries playing it quickly but is adjudged to have made the error. Tough call.
43mins: COWBOYS TRY - FELDT: Thurston finds Cooper with the short ball and he's just a couple metres out. They switch direction but Tuala is well looked after Kata. Feldt goes quickly from dummy half, and somehow works his way through the tackle of Maumalo to stretch and score the try. Cowboys right back in it!
41mins: We're back underway and it's Hampton with the first hit up from the restart. Hess makes a strong run, stepping one before being tackled over halfway. Taumalolo takes three with him for a ride. Thurston's kick is a good one, grubber in goal, forcing Afoa to dot down.
HALFTIME: WARRIORS 18 - 8 COWBOYS: Warriors take a pretty confortable lead into the break. RTS has been sensation in his return to the side, and scored one of the best individual tries of the season. Bowen scored late for the Cowboys, but they looked outmatched at the moment.
40mins: Thurston spots space on the right and Feldt's clear down the right wing before Linnett is tackled just a metre out! They go right to Bowen, he's got nothing on, puts the kick up up for none other than Taumalolo to contest but he knocks on dead.
38mins: COWBOYS TRY - BOWEN: Taumalolo spins out of the one tackle, has another crack at the line, bumping off Tuivasa-Sheck but Afoa hangs on. Warriors struggling to get back, Thurston goes quick, gives it to Feldt and he fires it wide for Bowen and the winger's in untouched on the left for the try.
36mins: Jensen charges hard and Luke does well to keep him out. Thurston puts the grubber through for three to chase and Johnson's forced to take it dead for the drop out. Good line defence from the Warriors.
34mins: Martin almost goes through but Mannering hangs on by the jersey and brings him down. Thurston kicks long and Beale takes the easy catch in goal for the 20m tap. He then undoes all his hard work however and makes the error in the play of the ball.
32mins: Tuala tries to beat the defence with the step but Blair knocks the ball free for the Warriors to counter. Johnson looks for the corner with the hard grubber through and does just that, finding touch around the 10m.
30mins: Hampton has a crack and Blair's lining him up but he JUST manages to beat him with the step. The Cowboys are up near halfway and they win the penalty at the play of the ball.
29mins: WARRIORS TRY - KATA: Tuivasa-Sheck has a run, holds it up, shows it before puting Kata through! He's in the clear and steps one tackle, before diving over for the try. RTS making things happen in his return.
28mins: Maumalo makes a strong charge with the Warriors deep inside their own half. Green gets caught and Johnson's forced to hurry a rushed kick. Jensen has a go but loses it in contact.
26mins: Afoa's out there now and he has a crack from the restart. Luke shows the ball and ALMOST cuts through but loses it in the tackle. Dangerous run, but poor ball retention.
24mins: WARRIORS TRY - TUIVASA-SHECK: Tuivasa-Sheck has a crack from dummy and he cuts right through a tiring Cowboys middle! He's up over halfway with just Morgan to beat, steps him silly and he goes in under the sticks to score. Take a bow son! What a try.
22mins: Paasi's the first to run the restart back before Gavet has a strong charge. Paasi does well to offload to Luke and Kata's forced to clean up the pass and run it back. They go high for Hiku to contest but Bowen does well to get up and grab it.
20mins: WARRIORS TRY - MAUMALO: Johnson does well to get the ball away, they go wide and Beale steps one and he's JUST short of the try line before the Warriors win another penalty. Paasi has a crack he almost spins out of the tackle before being stopped short. They go wide at pace and Maumalo is in the corner for the try!
18mins: Thurston's penalised for a neck-tackle on the ground. Green and Gavet combine well and they're just a few metres away from the try line. Harris goes quickly at the play of the ball and wins the penalty.
16mins: Bolton has a crack but Paasi is penalised for ripping it away. Martin has another run, he's looked good so far. Luke makes a great tackle around the legs of Taumalolo to keep him out. They grubber through but it travels dead.
14mins: Luke shows the ball and he slices right through the Cowboys' defence! He's in space but is dragged down around the 20. He bobbled the ball in the tackle and the ref rules a knock on.
12mins: Cooper is hit hard by three Warriors' players, all with very long hair it's noting. Cowboys show the ball before Tuala takes it over halfway. Morgan tries the kick along the ground but RTS does very well to cover it and hang on.
10mins: Feldt returns Green's kick with some serious strength, taking a few to tackle him around halfway. Taumalolo beats two easily before the kick on the last ends with RTS being forced to take it dead for the drop out. Luke takes too long to kick and he's penalised right in front for an easy two for Thurston.
9mins: Martin throws the dummy and he's just a metre out. Thurston fires it to Linnett on the charge but he's tackled well. They kick cross field and it's tapped back their way before RTS intercepts.
7mins: Thurston shows the ball a couple of times before finally being tackled 10 out from the try line. Taumalolo bumps off Johnson and goes very close! They try the flat ball but Beale intercepts, only to be penalised for being offside.
5mins: Kata finds space down the left wing before Maumalo beats a couple inside. Johnson's kick is an average on to cap off a good set from the Warriors.
3mins: Cowboys find a bit of space down the left before they go right on the last. Thurston says "nah", decides not to kick, switched direction with the pass but Linnett is well looked after.
1mins: RTS has the first crack for the Warriors on his return and Gavet has a couple of strong runs in the first set. Johnson kicks for Feldt to return.
7:59pm: Players making their way out now! Just moments away from kick-off.
7:57pm: Both sides battling late withdrawals from tonight's game. Fusitu'a's been ruled out, while veteran Matt Scott won't play after originally being named.
7:53pm: Some interesting international storylines to look out for. You've got the recommitted to Tonga, Jason Taumalolo and the now retired Kiwi, Simon Mannering in action.
7:50pm: Welcome, welcome, welcome! The Roger Tuivasa-Sheck-led Warriors are away to the Cowboys. They've already got a win over the Aussies, can they do it again? We'll find out shortly.
Kia ora and welcome to live updates of the New Zealand Warriors taking on the North Queensland Cowboys at Miles Stadium in Queensland.
The Warriors are without NRL's leading try-scorer, David Fusitu'a, but welcome back captain and fullback, Roger Tuivasa-Sheck.
In front of them are the Cowboys, who find themselves third from the bottom on the ladder after a loss to wooden spoon favourites, the Parramatta Eels last week.
Commentary will start from around 7:50pm.
Line-ups
Warriors
1 Roger Tuivasa-Sheck, 18 Gerard Beale, 3 Peta Hiku, 4 Solomone Kata, 5 Ken Maumalo, 6 Blake Green, 7 Shaun Johnson, 8 James Gavet, 9 Issac Luke, 10 Agnatius Paasi, 11 Isaiah Papali'i, 12 Tohu Harris, 13 Adam Blair
Interchange: 14 Karl Lawton, 15 Chris Satae, 16 Bunty Afoa, 17 Simon Mannering
Reserves: 21 Liligiifo Sao, 22 Anthony Gelling
Cowboys
1 Michael Morgan, 2 Kyle Feldt, 3 Enari Tuala, 4 Kane Linnett, 5 Javid Bowen, 6 Te Maire Martin, 7 Johnathan Thurston (c), 8 Matthew Scott (c), 9 Jake Granville, 10 Scott Bolton, 11 Gavin Cooper, 12 Coen Hess, 13 Jason Taumalolo
Interchange: 14 Ben Hampton, 15 Shaun Fensom, 16 Corey Jensen, 17 Sam Hoare
Reserves: 19 Ethan Lowe, 21 Francis Molo
Match officials
Referees: Henry Perenara, Ziggy Przeklasa-Adamski
Sideline Officials: Clayton Sharpe, Liam Kennedy
Video Referees: Jared Maxwell, Bryan Norrie
Previous results
Played 38; Cowboys 19 wins, Warriors 19 wins
Head to head
Warriors $1.75 Cowboys $2.00
Pre-match banter: Roger Tuivasa-Sheck returns to Warriors for Cowboys clash
Captain Roger Tuivasa-Sheck is set to return to the Warriors for their clash with the North Queensland Cowboys in Townsville on Friday.
The fullback missed the win over the Sea Eagles due to an ankle injury but has been named in the run-on side for this weekend.
Tuivasa-Sheck scrubbed up well after Tuesday's practice, leaving head coach Stephen Kearney confident he'd be ready for the Cowboys.
"He has a few more boxes he needs to tick but he's certainly better than he was last week," said Kearney.
"The day of travelling tomorrow and the captain's run up in Townsville on Thursday should give us a pretty good idea."
Hiku, who covered at fullback in the skipper's absence last weekend, will shift back into the centres, with Gerard Beale replacing the injured David Fusitu'a on the bench.
The extended interchange bench includes one other change with centre Anthony Gelling added as a replacement for front rower Sam Lisone.
Grand finalists in 2017, the Cowboys have endured an underwhelming season to date, currently sitting down in 14th place on the NRL ladder.
The fourth-placed Warriors wil be paying no attention to that, having traditionally struggled in the trying Townsville conditions. Since 2002 the club has escaped with a win just once, a 20-16 victory in 2014.
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