BY THE NUMBERS

Valentine Holmes is only 52 metres from cracking 3000 metres for the fourth time in his NRL career.

The former NFL convert will start in the centres for the second-straight game after holding his own against the Dragons.

Holmes leads the Cowboys for points with 120, six short of his career record.

North h Queensland have conceded more than t n 20 points oints to their opposition in 14 straight stra ht games, the most in club history.

Against one of the most impressive attacking units of the past month, the Cowboys will aim to avoid becoming the seventh team in the NRL era to go 15-straight. The longest streak is 22-straight games by the Knights in 2016-17.

Todd Payten’s number one priority in the off season will be his team’s defence. defence

The Cowboys are arguably the worst defensive unit in the NRL.

They have conceded the most tries (5.4 per game) and line breaks (6.5 per game). But the most concerning is their missed tackles at 36 per game. It is a stat that needs drastic work.