Before a ball has been kicked, there’s real concerns about the Cowboys’ middle.
Tough prop Griffin Neame will miss the early rounds through injury, while the consistent and experienced Jordan McLean has retired.
Jason Taumalolo turns 33 soon and has a lot of miles on his clock, with his best football now behind him.
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It’s why the Cowboys signed journeyman Matt Lodge, but he’s unlikely to figure in the top 17 until mid-season.
After the disappointments of 2025, a good start to the year is vital, and makeshift middles will make things that much tougher for under-pressure Todd Payten.
Jason Taumalolo. Getty
The coach has also lost a key member of the spine in consistent hooker Reece Robson to the Roosters, but his replacement Reed Mahoney is a class player with a point to prove after being pushed out the door by Canterbury.
Mahoney was basically unwanted by the Bulldogs at the end of last season and he’ll be out to show he’s still got plenty of tricks around the dummy-half area to go with his impressive tackling work-rate.
The combination of Tom Dearden and Jake Clifford could make or break the Cowboys.
Dearden is now one of the NRL’s elite playmakers and will win the team plenty of games, but Clifford has inconsistencies in his game that he needs to work on.
Scott Drinkwater is right up there with the best fullbacks in the game and he also needs a big season for the Cowboys to return to finals footy.
North Queensland Cowboys best 17
1. Scott Drinkwater 2. Murray Taulagi 3. Jaxon Purdue 4. Tom Chester 5. Robert Derby 6. Jake Clifford 7. Tom Dearden 8. Jason Taumalolo 9. Reed Mahoney 10. Coen Hess 11. John Bateman 12. Jeremiah Nanai 13. Reuben Cotter 14. Kai O’Donnell 15. Heilum Luki 16. Thomas Mikaele 17. Sam McIntyre