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New halves combination in Cowboys' push for NRL finals
Jasper Bruce, AAP •  July 21st, 2026 7:00 pm
Scott Drinkwater | Photo: AAP
North Queensland will roll out a new halves combination in a bid to keep their NRL finals hopes on track, with Jake Clifford recalled to partner Tom Dearden.
Clifford was benched for last week's loss to the Dolphins but returns as the eighth-placed Cowboys face Brisbane in another Queensland derby.
The Cowboys risking falling out of the top eight with a loss to the Broncos, who beat ladder-leading Penrith last week.
Saturday's return for Clifford, a more conventional kicking half, pushes Jaxon Purdue to the centres and Zac Laybutt to the bench.
North Queensland memorably had success bringing Clifford into their halves on the run to the 2024 finals series, progressing to a semi-final against Cronulla that season.
Todd Payten's men have a 6-4 record with Dearden and Clifford as their starting halves this year, most recently playing the combination in round 10.
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Co-captain Dearden went down with a serious ankle injury in that game against Parramatta and only returned last week.
Brisbane hooker Billy Walters has been named on the bench for what could be his first NRL game since suffering an anterior cruciate ligament injury last September.
Melbourne's fight to play in a 16th consecutive NRL finals series has received a vital boost as star halfback Jahrome Hughes returns from a minor hamstring issue.
The former Dally M winner partners Tyran Wishart against South Sydney on Friday, with the 11th-placed Storm likely needing to win five of their remaining six games to make the top eight.
Melbourne have called Moses Leo into the backline to replace Will Warbrick, who will miss the remainder of the season with an achilles injury.
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Lachlan Hubner replaces injured Souths captain Cameron Murray (calf) at lock, with the NSW representative set to miss up to four weeks on the run to the finals.
Tallis Duncan (hamstring) also drops out for the next two to three weeks, replaced in the centres by Latrell Siegwalt.
Matt Dufty stays at fullback for the Rabbitohs, who have consigned Jye Gray to the bench for a third consecutive week.
Manly's Lehi Hopoate will start at fullback against Cronulla as Tom Trbojevic (hamstring) begins another stint on the sidelines.
Sydney Roosters captain James Tedesco is back from the head knock suffered for NSW in the State of Origin decider, but teammate Lindsay Collins will not face Newcastle as he recovers from his own concussion.
