North Queensland Toyota Cowboys coach Paul Green has made several changes to the team heading into their round 16 NRL clash with the Cronulla Sharks at 1300SMILES Stadium this Saturday.

Johnathan Thurston has been ruled out for the match as he recovers from a torrid State of Origin Game II and from the bruising round 15 win over the Canberra Raiders.

Michael Morgan – himself returning from one match out with a shoulder injury – will take the reins at halfback while Rory Kostjasyn has been named at five-eighth.

Young forward Patrick Kaufusi is poised to make his National Rugby League debut off the bench, while Robert Lui has been named at 18th man.

Sam Hoare drops out of the 17-man team and will play for the Mackay Cutters in the Intrust Super Cup this weekend.

NORTH QUEENSLAND TOYOTA COWBOYS v CRONULLA SHARKS

Round 16, 2015 NRL Telstra Premiership

5.30pm, Saturday 27 June, 1300SMILES Stadium

Tickets: ticketek.com.au

Times:

12.45pm: Gates open

1pm: NYC Cowboys v Sharks

2.45pm: Women’s Interstate Challenge, Queensland v New South Wales

4.30pm: Laurie Spina Shield final

5.30pm: NRL Cowboys v Sharks

Team:

1 Lachlan Coote

2 Matthew Wright

3 Justin O’Neill

4 Kane Linnett

5 Antonio Winterstein

6 Rory Kostjasyn

7 Michael Morgan

8 Matt Scott (c)

9 Jake Granville

10 James Tamou

11 Gavin Cooper

12 Ethan Lowe

13 Jason Taumalolo

Interchange:

14 Cameron King

15 John Asiata

16 Ben Hannant

17 Patrick Kaufusi

18 Robert Lui

Coach: Paul Green