Cowboys unleash 'natural footballer' Purdue at No.6

The Cowboys have rested co-captain and Queensland playmaker Tom Dearden from Saturday night's game at Kogarah.

Jake Clifford will line up at No.7 and Purdue, who has mostly shone at centre in his 32-game NRL career, will have the opportunity to push his case for a permanent switch.

The Mackay-born local product came through as a junior playing halves and has the ball skills to shine in the position.

He also possesses blistering speed and can create something out of nothing, which is why he's been a revelation at centre - the position where he has scored 14 of his 16 NRL tries.

Purdue could yet continue playing in the centres, where there will be a battle in the coming weeks between Zac Laybutt, Liam Sutton and Tom Chester.

Cowboys general manager of football Micheal Luck said there was a lot to like about Purdue as a half as well.

"He is a natural footballer. I think he sees things other people can't," Luck told AAP.

"There are some talents he has got that you can't coach, so he is just a very instinctive player with great speed and anticipation. He is certainly far from the finished product but there is some raw ability there that not a lot of guys are blessed with."

While the Bulldogs have named a team mostly devoid of top liners, the Cowboys have elected to field a side with plenty of NRL experience.

Prop Thomas Mikaele will captain a line-up that includes elite back-rower Heilum Luki.

Luki last played for the North Queensland in the 2024 finals series, a year when he was close to a Queensland call-up.

An ACL rupture ruled him out of the 2025 season but he is back to give the side dynamism on the edge.

It was painful for the Cowboys' brains trust to watch Luki undertaking his rehab running late last year when they fielded makeshift back-rowers.

"We are not expecting him to perform miracles on Saturday night but it is just great to see him back on the field," Luck said. 

The four teams playing in the opening round double-header of the NRL Pre-Season Challenge at Jubilee Oval will all take part in the first round clashes in Las Vegas.

St George Illawarra twin brothers Toby and Ryan Couchman return from injury against Newcastle.

Ryan will play his first game in 11 months in the second-row after he tore an ACL in March last year. Prop Toby is back from a shoulder injury that cost him the last two months of season 2025.

The match will also feature returned Dragons prop Josh Kerr, who is back at the Red V after a stint with the Dolphins.

While former Parramatta star Dylan Brown will play in the halves this year he won't make his club debut for the Knights this week.

Former Sydney Roosters playmaker Sandon Smith has his chance to impress in the No.7 jersey while Fletcher Sharpe is his halves partner in his first game since suffering a lacerated kidney and damaged spleen last June.

Australian Associated Press