2026 preview - North Queensland Cowboys

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Capable of anything

There are teams capable of brilliance. There are teams capable of beneath mediocrity. And then there are teams like the North Queensland Cowboys that are capable of both - often in the same match.

Coming off one of the worst seasons in the club's 30 year history with nine wins, a draw and 14 losses, you would be forgiven for thinking that assessment was overly harsh given the side claimed the scalps of Canberra and Penrith. But those high points did little to paper over a wretched defensive record - the second worst in the league - with the side conceding 30 points or more 11 times over the course of the season.

Entering his sixth season as coach, Todd Payten will be acutely aware of the pressure to get off to a fast start to silence the critics predicting him to be the first coach sacked in 2026. The Cowboys have enjoyed strong seasons during Payten's tenure, but after years of inconsistency between the side's best and worst, the club's powerbrokers may see a future without the former premiership-winning forward at the helm if results don't improve.

Luring Reed Mahoney to Townsville as a replacement for Reece Robson at hooker, the Cowboys have signed a number of fringe players - Ethan King, Soni Luke, James Walsh - looking for an opportunity, while Matthew Lodge will become one of a select few players to represent six NRL clubs.

Set to take part in the opening match of a season for the first time in the club's history, the Cowboys will get 2026 underway 12,000 kilometres away from home against the Knights in Las Vegas.

Why they'll win it

At their best, the Cowboys are capable of playing with an attacking flair matched by few - if any - teams in the premiership.

Boasting a roster stacked with representative talent interspersed with a healthy mix of young guns and honest toilers, the icing on top of the cake is Scott Drinkwater: an attacking phenom whose record of 75 try-assists and 32 tries from his past 71 appearances ranks him as one of the best attacking players of his generation.

Playing a brand of football that can pile on points in quick succession, the threat posed by the men from North Queensland means that in the space of a few minutes a double-digit deficit can turn into a game-clinching lead.

Why they won't

For as good as the Cowboys can be with the ball, their aptitude without it can be downright diabolical.

Conceding 684 points last season - their fourth worst defensive season on record - the most damning indictment of the Cowboys' defensive shortcomings was that the side held an opposition to 12 points or less only twice all year.

Retaining the bulk of the squad that were found wanting in defence with regularity last season, the Cowboys have such disparity between their best and worst performances that it's hard to envision a middle ground where defence takes priority over attack.

2026 fixture list

Beginning the year in Las Vegas against reigning wooden spooners Newcastle before returning down under to hostile territory at Leichhardt Oval, the Cowboys will have to wait until the final match of Round 3 to make their first appearance in Townsville opposite the Titans.

Playing 14 matches straight before their first bye of the season, the men from North Queensland will avoid being without their representative stars prior to Origin II (Round 15) and III (Round 18), while a final bye in Round 25 could make for a fortuitous lead into September with their final two matches scheduled at home.

Playing only three teams that qualified for last year's finals twice (Raiders, Broncos and Roosters), the impact of travel could be a major factor with the side regularly travelling interstate every second weekend.

Key player

Jason Taumalolo has undoubtedly been one of North Queensland's greatest ever players. But the player he was at his peak is a far cry from the one the Cowboys will have at their disposal in 2026.

Managing 16 tackle breaks and seven offloads in an injury-interrupted campaign (ten matches) last year, the 32-year-old remains a fixture of the side's forward pack through his leadership but has struggled to assert on-field dominance in the manner he did upon signing a mammoth ten-year deal in 2017 (129 tackle breaks and 30 offloads in 26 matches).

Needing to play 15 games this season to become the first man to appear in 300 matches for the Cowboys, Taumalolo will be hoping his personal milestone can be a minor chapter in a larger story of success up north in 2026.

Rookies to watch

Coming through the ranks of players to represent Queensland in the annual Under 19s State of Origin fixture, New Zealand born forward Mason Kira will be aiming to make the step up to first grade this season. Splitting his time between the Northern Pride and Mackay Cutters in the Queensland Cup last season, the young forward spent the bulk of 2025 playing on an edge but is adept in the middle as well.

The Cowboys have a host of options when it comes to partnering Tom Dearden in the halves, but the dark horse of the pack may prove to be 20-year-old Zac Herdegen. Making the move up north last season after playing juniors at a number of clubs around Brisbane, the untested playmaker developed his craft in 15 games with the Northern Pride and gained a taste of bigger things in a trial appearance.

Player movements

IN: Reed Mahoney (Canterbury-Bankstown), Ethan King (Sydney), James Walsh (Dolphins), Matt Lodge (Manly), Soni Luke (Penrith)

TOP 30: Braidon Burns, Coen Hess, Griffin Neame, Harrison Edwards, Heilum Luki, Jake Clifford, James Walsh, Jason Taumalolo, Jaxon Purdue, Jasxon Paulo, Jeremiah Nanai, John Bateman, Kai O'Donnell, Kaiden Lahrs, Mason Kira, Matt Lodge, Murray Taulagi, Reed Mahoney, Reuben Cotter, Robert Derby, Sam McIntyre, Scott Drinkwater, Soni Luke, Thomas Mikaele, Tom Dearden, Tom Chester, Viliami Vailea, Zac Herdegen, Zac Laybutt

OUT: Reece Robson (Sydney), Tom Duffy (Brisbane), Jordan McLean (retired), Semi Valemei (Castleford), Karl Lawton (Hull KR), Emarly Bitungane (London), Jamal Shibasaki (released)

Best 17 (19)

1. Scott Drinkwater
2. Braidon Burns
3. Zac Laybutt
4. Viliami Vailea
5. Murray Taulagi
6. Jaxon Purdue
7. Tom Dearden (C)
8. Griffin Neame
9. Reed Mahoney
10. Jason Taumalolo
11. Heilum Luki
12. Jeremiah Nanai
13. Reuben Cotter (C)

14. Sam McIntyre
15. Harrison Edwards
16. Coen Hess
17. Matt Lodge

18. John Bateman
19. Jake Clifford