North Queensland coach Todd Payten has cut a deeply frustrated figure after the Cowboys bowed out of NRL finals contention with a poor 32-12 away loss to the Sharks.
With five rounds—and just four games—remaining in the Cowboys’ season, Payten’s already fading chances of remaining in charge beyond 2025 took a potentially fatal hit in a diabolical opening 40 minutes that saw the Sharks race to a 26-0 half time lead.
“Thirty-five percent possession in the first half, taking ourselves out of the contest with yardage penalties or errors,” Payten offered when asked to explain the Townsville-based club’s latest disastrous showing.
“You give that type of possession away and you’ll be on the back foot, it’s been a similar story most of the year.”
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“There haven’t been a lot of times this year where we’ve been outplayed,” Payten continued, as echoes of the celebrating Sharks players reverberated painfully through the walls at Sharks Stadium.
“We’ve beaten ourselves, we’ve shot ourselves in the foot too often—and that’s highly frustrating.”
Asked what he expected from his under-performing squad in the final rounds of the NRL season, a downbeat Payten suggested it was all about keeping things simple.
“I want to see us play the game the right way, get through our sets, be disciplined and make the opposition earn it—we have not done that well enough, at all, for most of the year.”
Following the Round 22 loss the Cowboys have slumped to 13th on the NRL ladder, just three points ahead of the last-placed Rabbitohs and Titans.