Round 26 brought plenty of action to Queensland Country Bank Stadium as the North Queensland Cowboys hosted the Wests Tigers under the Saturday night lights. Punters eyeing the market beforehand saw the Cowboys installed as clear favourites at 1.26 in the head-to-head market, while the Wests Tigers came in as the 3.85 outsiders looking to cause an upset.
When the dust settled on a physical encounter, it was the home side that delivered on expectations. The final scoreboard read North Queensland Cowboys 24–10 Wests Tigers, sealing a solid win for the hosts and bringing an end to a tight contest in front of the parochial home supporters.
Breaking Down the Match and Markets
The pre-match line had been set at 13.5 points, with both sides trading at 1.90. The Cowboys needed to assert dominance to cover that sizable handicap, coming off a narrow 32–30 loss against the Parramatta Eels in their previous outing. Meanwhile, the Wests Tigers arrived on the quick back-up of a thrilling 25–24 win over the Sydney Roosters, hoping to carry that momentum north.
Ultimately, the Cowboys' class shone through as they secured a 14-point victory margin, comfortably pushing past the 13.5-point line requirement. In the total points market, where the line was posted at 55.5 points, the combined 34 points scored on the night fell well underneath the total points line.
How the tips went
For punters who followed our published selections ahead of kick-off, it proved to be a successful night at the office. Our head-to-head selection on the North Queensland Cowboys at 1.27 got the job done cleanly as the hosts secured the 24–10 victory.
Additionally, our line tip on the North Queensland Cowboys -13.5 at 1.85 landed successfully as the home side converted their dominance into a 14-point winning margin, covering the handicap by the narrowest of margins.