Jeremiah Nanai one of 15 Cowboys players and staff caught up in North Queensland flooding chaos

Flooding in north Queensland is threatening to send Todd Payten’s pre-season preparations into disarray, with a Maroons star and multiple players and officials told to be ready to evacuate their homes.

Cowboys players Jeramiah Nanai and Viliami Vailea were a pair of floody legends on Saturday, spending hours helping people fill sandbags at Hermit Park. Picture Instagram

Maroons Origin star Jeremiah Nanai is one of 15 Cowboys players and staff in at risk areas as wild weather and flooding lashes North Queensland threatening to throw pre-season preparations into disarray.

While Nanai, his affected teammates and their families have not yet been ordered to evacuate immediately, the club remains on high alert after areas just north of Townsville were hit by more than 600mm of rain in the last 24 hours.

Nanai and centre Viliami Vailea were spotted helping to fill sandbags on Sunday in Hermit Park in a bid to prepare for the worst of the floods.

The wet weather has already cost Todd Payten one day of training after the coach was forced to cancel last Saturday’s opposed field session due to the conditions.

Cowboys train in torrential Townsville rain.

But players returned to Cowboys HQ on Monday afternoon, for the first time since Friday, for a shortened day of training which also included a field session.

At this stage Cowboys officials have no plans to move training away from the club’s centre of excellence.

While conceding the Cowboys “were not out of the woods just yet”, one official told this masthead that the club will continue to monitor the situation but as of Monday did not require any pre-season contingency plans.

The NRL is also closely monitoring the flooding north of the border with the Cowboys to take on the Dolphins at Barlow Park in Cairns in the second week of the pre-season challenge on February 14.

The area between Cairns, which is around 700 kilometres north of Townsville, and Mackay was hit with totals of 200mm to 350mm over the weekend after being pommeled with over 1000mm last week.

It’s understood at this stage the NRL has no immediate plans to shift the trial match away from Cairns and that Barlow Park did not sustain any damage during the deluge.

It’s not the first time dangerous weather has caused pre-season chaos for the Cowboys.

Back in 2019, players missed about two weeks worth of field sessions when floods ravaged the city and were forced to train at local indoor basketball courts before resuming field work at Townsville Grammar School.

Scott Drinkwater working hard in the gym. Picture: Cowboys Instagram

The Cowboys were forced to cancel their community day.

While players are still reporting to training this week club officials have had to cancel a community day scheduled for Friday, February 7.

Some Cowboys fans normally travel for hundreds of kilometres for games and meet and greets with players and given the severe weather conditions the club has opted to call off the event.

“Please stay strong for each other and now more than ever, remember if it’s flooded, forget it,” a Cowboys statement said.