Live: Cowboys and Roosters set for top eight battle

Round 22 of the NRL season kicks off on Thursday night with North Queensland hosting the Sydney Roosters. The Cowboys will be looking to secure their top eight spot while the Tricolours will be fighting to stay in the hunt for the minor premiership. Todd Payten's side pulled off a big upset against the Roosters earlier this year and will be looking to repeat the dose on home soil. Thu 30 Jul 2026 at 7:29pmThu 30 Jul 2026 at 7:29pmUpdateThu 30 Jul 2026 at 7:23pmThu 30 Jul 2026 at 7:23pmLast time they metIt was a good few months ago now but here's the good oil from the last time these two teams met. One of a number of strong Cowboys this year - most of which have come without Tom Dearden, funnily enough.Can they give us a sequel tonight? Or will the Chooks win their sixth straight?Thu 30 Jul 2026 at 7:12pmThu 30 Jul 2026 at 7:12pmFinal teams: Cowboys vs RoostersNo changes for North Queensland - a reminder, they're still without Tom Dearden, so Jaxon Purdue is at halfback and Zac Laybutt is in at centre.Just the one switch for the Roosters with Spencer Leniu dropping back to the bench and Salesi Foketi starting at prop. Might be a chance that Foketi is actually on an edge with Nat Butcher pushing to prop, we'll keep an eye out.Thu 30 Jul 2026 at 7:11pmThu 30 Jul 2026 at 7:11pmWelcome to the ABC's NRL live blogHey sports fans, time for some footy.Tonight we've got North Queensland vs the Roosters in an interesting clash between a top four certainty and a top eight contender.Should be plenty of points a bit of fun.Kick back, relax and let's have some fun out there tonight.