The North Queensland Cowboys have been wildly inconsistent in recent NRL seasons and if things don’t change quickly in 2026, former Broncos and Queensland great Corey Parker has real fears for head coach Todd Payten.

Speaking just over a week from the start of the 2026 NRL pre-season challenge, Parker told SENQ listeners the talent-laden squad must deliver on the field or Payten’s sixth year in Townsville will likely be his last.

“It’s a huge season coming up for the North Queensland Cowboys and particularly their head coach Todd Payten,” Parker said after the Cowboys slumped from the NRL semi finals in 2024 to 12th last season.

Parker has no doubt where the improvement must come for the Cowboys to surge back into finals contention in the upcoming season.

MORE: ‘Least watchable’ team named ahead of 2026 NRL season, and it might surprise you

“Every time you watch the Cowboys they bring an air of excitement, they have some really crafty attacking players,” Parker said. 

“But the thing they’ve lacked and what really needs to change is their defensive mindset, last season they conceded 684 points, that’s second last in the competition at just under 30 points per game.

“Go through their team, they’re littered with Origin and international players—they just weren’t where they needed to be from a defensive point of view.”

‘The drums will be beating and the noise will get quite loud’ warns Parker

Parker then surmised the situation bluntly for 47-year-old Todd Payten who first took the Cowboys coaching reins in 2021.

“It’s going to be a really pivotal year and if they fall out of the blocks and don’t get the wins they need early, I think the drums will be beating and the noise will get quite loud,” he warned.

“Todd Payten is well and truly under the pump, with a squad like they have, the international experience, the Origin experience, they need to produce on the park.

“I just hope for the Cowboys fans they can turn around their defence, that’s all it is, they need to value more of the not-so-pretty things in the game.”

North Queensland faces the Canterbury Bulldogs in the opening match of the 2025 Pre-Season Challenge at Jubilee Stadium on Saturday, February 7. 

They open their 2026 NRL campaign against the Newcastle Knights in Las Vegas on March 1 (AEDT).