Parramatta Eels vs North Queensland Cowboys Prediction, Tips & Odds

The struggling Eels provide another crucial opportunity for the Cowboys to consolidate their tenuous spot in the Top 8.  

FORM: The 7-13 Eels following up a scrappy win over the Tigers with a 28-24 loss to the Rabbitohs in Round 23.   

The Cowboys recovered from their 82-12 humiliation at the hands of the Roosters with a 30-8 victory over the Titans.  

INS AND OUTS: Dylan Walker returns on the bench for Parramatta, Tallyn Da Silva comes in at hooker and Apa Twidle will line up at fullback following Isaiah Iongi’s season-ending injury.  

Reed Mahoney returns at hooker for the Cowboys, pushing Soni Luke to the bench.  

KEY MATCH-UP: It’s a huge opportunity for Twidle to show what he can do, while Scott Drinkwater continues to carry a hefty proportion of the Cowboys’ fortunes.  

HISTORY: The Eels have won seven of their last nine against the Cowboys, getting up 33-30 in a dramatic golden point clash in Townsville in Round 10.  

KEY STAT: The Cowboys are 0-4 against the Eels at CommBank Stadium.   

VERDICT: There are elements of the Eels’ late-2025 revival about the backbone they’ve occasionally shown of late, but the lack of wins is starting to wear pretty thin. Another injury to Iongi is ill-timed.   

No team has a wider gap between their best and worst than the Cowboys and they deserve some credit from immediately bouncing back from a record-shattering loss. They won’t make much of an impact in the finals if they make it, but they generally take care of the teams they should.  

Prediction: Back the Cowboys to Cover the Line (-5.5) @ $1.90 

SGM: COWBOYS WIN / BOTH TEAMS TO SCORE 20+ POINTS / JAXON PURDUE ANYTIME TRYSCORER / JAKE CLIFFORD ANYTIME TRYSCORER / JOSH ADDO-CARR ANYTIME TRYSCORER @ $29.74