NRL Betting: Battle up front when Tigers meet Cowboys
Betting tips 
/ David Murdoch / 23 July 2012 / Leave a comment Bet Now View Market
The Tigers have had the wood over the Cowboys in recent times, winning eight of their last nine clashes and need the win to keep pace with the eight.
The Cowboys had been the quiet achievers of the competition up until last week when they made plenty of noise at AAMI Park by securing their first win in the southern capital in more than a decade.
It was a bold statement from a side looking to cement its spot in the top eight this week against the Wests Tigers at Dairy Farmers Stadium.
Top billing in the match will be the halves duel; it simply doesn't get any better than Johnathan Thurston up against Benji Marshall.
While each player is the creative hub of their side, the battle up front also provides plenty of interest with the return of Adam Blair from suspension and Gareth Ellis from injury.
The pair are welcome inclusions after their unconvincing win over the struggling Panthers last weekend.
It brought to an end the West Tigers' mid-season malaise where they fell to the Roosters, Newcastle and the Bulldogs in the past month.
The Tigers have had the wood over the Cowboys in recent times, winning eight of their last nine clashes and need the win to keep pace with the eight.
While Blair and Ellis are massive inclusion for the Tigers, North Queensland has won four of their last five at home and has been humming along nicely after two byes in the past six weeks.
The Cowboys' record at home against the Tigers is also pretty impressive, winning eight of the 12 matches against Wests Tigers at Dairy Farmers Stadium.
With the likes of Thurston and Marshall calling the shots for these sides, anything could happen and these sides usually manage to produce a cracking game.
The last time they met it was Marshall who took the points; scoring a try and having a hand in a couple of others to secure a 26 points to 18 win at Campbelltown.
The Cowboys will start favourites for this one, but I expect the Tigers to be a very different side to the one that spluttered to win against the Panthers.
