Cowboys coach Todd Payten ignoring speculation about his future
North Queensland coach Todd Payten insists he can ignore speculation about his future, but as the losses mount, time for a Cowboys revival is running out.
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Under pressure Cowboys coach Todd Payten insists he can ignore growing speculation about his future and guide North Queensland out of an NRL funk.
The Cowboys slumped to a sixth loss in seven games on Thursday night after being trounced 43-24 by the surging Dolphins at Suncorp Stadium.
With a 6-10 (one draw) record heading into the back end of the season, the NRL finals are all but gone for the Cowboys in 2025 and it is shaping up to be another year where they promised so much and delivered so little.
North Queensland reached the second week of last year’s finals series and were expected to once again be a top eight contender.
But not even current Wally Lewis Medal champion Tom Dearden has been able to save the Cowboys following a series of inept defensive efforts.
The Cowboys have conceded a staggering 488 points in 17 matches – an average of 28.7 per game – only topped by wooden spoon favourites the Titans (30.1 per game).
Payten, 46, is in his fifth season in charge of the Cowboys, with the club’s 2022 preliminary finals loss his best result since replacing 2015 premiership-winning coach Paul Green.
The Cowboys look set to miss the finals for the third time under Payten’s watch but the steely-eyed coach is refusing to be distracted by the noise around his future.
“That’s a part of the business, I’m understanding of that,” he said.
“I’ve got myself to a point where I don’t give that any energy.
“That hasn’t always been the case, but through experience, my focus goes into getting this team right and what we’re doing day to day.
“When I’m away from here, I’m getting better at being more present with my family. So that’s my two focuses at the moment and that won’t change.”
The Cowboys started the season with three straight losses but fought their way back to a 4-3 record and looked promising after a 50-18 thrashing of the Titans in round 8.
However their season has unravelled since and the only teams they’ve beaten in their past 12 starts have been Gold Coast (twice) and reigning three-time wooden spooners Wests Tigers.
The Cowboys have a run of games against bottom eight teams the Dragons, Sharks, Eels, Knights and Tigers to come which could help them salvage some pride in 2025.
If not, Payten’s future is set to come under the microscope given he is off-contract at the end of next year and a merry-go-round of NRL coach changes could be about to kick off.
Co-captain Dearden has come off the high of being crowned State of Origin’s player of the series following a stunning effort for Queensland.
But he hasn’t been able to turn around the Cowboys’ fortunes in a team stacked with fellow Origin reps Reuben Cotter, Jeremiah Nanai and Reece Robson.
“Our biggest challenge is just getting it together and then being consistent with it,” Dearden said.
“We’ve had so many games where we’ve been up and down and then in patches of play we’re just so patchy and up and down throughout the game as well.
“I’ve got a lot of belief and I know if we get it together and get it right we can get a strong run in the back end of the season.”
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