NRL 2022: North Queensland Cowboys season preview, roster analysis, predicted finish, round 1 best 17
The retooling Cowboys who face an uphill battle to return to the finals — and one relationship is key to how they will fare in 2022.
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The North Queensland Cowboys finished second-last in 2021, but there’s reason to hope for a revival in the coming season.
Excitement machine Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow showed he could ignite the team at fullback while new recruit Chad Townsend is the veteran playmaker they need to guide the team.
If star Jason Taumalolo and coach Todd Payten can get on the same page over the pre-season the Cowboys could surprise plenty.
Chris Honnery takes a deep dive into what to expect from North Queensland next season.
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FINISHES THE PAST FIVE SEASONS
2021: 15th
2020: 14th
2019: 14th
2018: 13th
2017: 8th (grand finalists)
2022 ODDS
Premiership: $41
Top 4: $9
Top 8: $4.50
Most losses: $4.50
FULL 2022 SQUAD
Kane Bradley, Lachlan Burr, Ben Condon, Reuben Cotter, Tom Dearden, Scott Drinkwater
Mitchell Dunn, Kyle Feldt, Tom Gilbert, Jake Granville, Ben Hampton, Coen Hess, Peta Hiku
Valentine Holmes, Connelly Lemuelu, Jordan McLean, Laitia Moceidreke, Jeremiah Nanai, Griffin Neame, Emry Pere, Reece Robson, Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow, Murray Taulagi, Jason Taumalolo, Jamayne Taunoa-Brown, Chad Townsend. Development players: Daejarn Asi, Jordan Lipp, Heilum Luki, Morgan McWhirter, Riley Price, Tyreece Woods
Ins
Peta Hiku (Warriors), Chad Townsend (Warriors), Jamayne Taunoa-Brown (Warriors)
Outs
Javid Bowen (retirement), Peter Hola (Raiders), Corey Jensen (Broncos), Michael Morgan (retirement), Justin O’Neill (retirement), Francis Molo (Dragons), Shane Wright (Salford Red Devils)
SQUAD STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES
The squad is stacked with talent in the backline and have some exciting youngsters coming through. However, they’re still yet to find a matchwinner who can steer them to a win over the top teams in the competition.
PLAYERS IN 2021 RICH 100 -4
94 - Coen Hess ($470,000)
57 - Jordan McLean ($658,000)
32 - Valentine Holmes ($752,000)
18 - Jason Taumalolo ($893,000)
COACH STATUS AND SAFETY RATING
After an underwhelming first year at the helm, Todd Payten can only improve from here. It would be a rather bad look for the club to punt a second coach in as many years, but the pressure still remains on Payten to bring the Cowboys out of the NRL doldrums – where they have been languishing for the past three seasons. The former Warriors coach is contracted with North Queensland until the end of 2023 and with a season under his belt already, he will be looking to see some improvement from his squad in 2022.
WHAT THEY NEED TO TWEAK
They need a dominant halfback to lead them around the field. The incoming Chad Townsend will be looked to as the chief playmaker to set up the club’s strike weapons in Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow, Valentine Holmes and Jason Taumalolo. The club might need to invest in a few tackling bags this off-season because defence is also an issue that needs addressing. The Cowboys had the most points of any team scored against them after 25 rounds (748) and had one of the worst records for conceding the most tries, linebreaks and missing the most tackles per game.
FREE AGENCY WRAP
The Cowboys haven’t been able to go on a spending spree because their money is already locked up with a number of their current stars. However, they have been able to pick up a trio of Warriors players – Peta Hiku, Jamayne Taunoa-Brown and Townsend – the latter of whom comes in on a significant wage. None of the signings will make the Cowboys premiership contenders, however, and losing the likes of Francis Molo to the Dragons hurts.
WHICH PLAYER CAN THEY REINVENT? - Tom Dearden
The young playmaker was meant to be the future Broncos No.7 before leaving to join the Cowboys midway through the 2021 season. And it wasn’t the fresh new start he would have been hoping for either, after suffering 10 straight losses when he joined the North Queensland club in June. There’s no denying the kid has talent - and plenty of it. With premiership winning halfback Townsend joining the Cowboys, Dearden will have a quality mentor to work with. Despite Dearden’s one win in his first 12 games up north, he proved he was a danger in the No.7 jersey – scoring six tries and making 26 tackle busts. It was always going to be a challenge for the 20-year-old to come into a new club halfway through a season and turn their fortunes around, but the experience of the 2021 season, as well as a full pre-season with his teammates under his belt, the playmaker should be all the better for it.
WHICH DEVELOPMENT CONTRACT UPGRADED KIDS MAKE AN IMPACT?
Riley Price, son of NRL great Steve, has been making a name for himself in the Queensland state competitions. The 20-year-old is on a development contract but will be eligible to play after Round 10 next year if the club requires his services earlier than expected. Just like his old man, Riley is a tough-running, hardworking backrow forward with plenty of potential.
WHO TAKES THE NEXT STEP? Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow
The speed machine has been in the NRL for two years now and that experience will only do him wonders as the club’s X-factor. Still only 20 years old, Tabuai-Fidow has plenty of room for improvement to become one of the game’s most exciting and talented players. His State of Origin debut in 2021 will have given him a mountain of confidence and he’s showing no signs of slowing down. You only have to look at Manly to see what a quality fullback can do for the side …
IT’S A BIG YEAR FOR - Jason Taumalolo.
The skipper is entering an incredible 13th year at the club – an enormous achievement considering the whacks and bumps he cops every game. Injuries caught up with him in 2021 and fractures to both hands on separate occasions ruled him out for several weeks. Taumalolo lacked the impact on his return which made him the game’s most devastating ball runner in years gone by, and the 28-year-old may need to add another string to his bow to continue his dominance through the middle.
WHERE WILL THEY FINISH IN 2022
Just outside the top eight.
CAPTAINCY CONTENDERS
Jason Taumalolo, Valentine Holmes, Kyle Feldt
FOX SPORTS LAB’S AARON WALLACE SAYS …
The Cowboys have not chalked up 10 wins in each of their past four seasons - the only team in the competition to fail to do so.
Their defence will need a major overhaul next season to have any chance of a finals appearance — North Queensland conceded a mammoth 31.2 points per game in 2021- one of just 16 teams in the NRL era to concede over 30 points per game. They conceded 20 plus points on 22 occasions — only two teams in history have done so on more occasions in a season.
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Originally published as NRL 2022: North Queensland Cowboys season preview, roster analysis, predicted finish, round 1 best 17
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