5 reasons 2026 will be a better season for the Cowboys.
(1) Helium Luki is back. Not just a big body, but explosive with it. Great at making yards, a threat at close range, super fast over short range (he's quite possibly the fastest forward in the comp). Missed the whole season in 2025, and we didn't have anyone who can really replicate what he does. A massive in.
(2) Our defence will be better. 2025 was a defensive horror show - we were the second worst defensive team in the comp. And for mine we clearly weren't singing off the same page defensively. Some would push up, some would slide, some would come in. It simply wasn't cohesive. I've zero doubt this will have been a real focus in the off season. You just can't be competitive conceding 28.5 points per game. The good thing is this isn't a complex fix, nor one that needs big changes in personel. Implement a system and make sure everyone understands it.
(3) A good draw to start. We start with the Knights in Vegas, have the next week off, follow by the Tigers, Titans, Storm & Dragons. 4 of those look very winnable - we've got decent prospects of a strong start. And I think we need to find our feet early this season. Build a bit of confidence around the club, and relive the immediate pressure.
(4) Tommy Dearden. Tommy started last year as a gritty up and comer, and finished the year as a player who'd quarterbacked Queensland to a SOO win and picked up the Wally Lewis Medal. I think the self belief & confidence that comes with that will flow into his play & leadership this season.
(5) There's a great quote from English writer Samuel Johnson that nothing focuses the mind like the threat of hanging. And I think that's true of Todd Payten this year. His coaching career hangs in the balance. He built an excellent coaching CV from 2015 through 2022 (assistant coach to the Cows 2015 premiership, parachuted successfully into the Warriors in 2020, then taking the Cowboys from the bottom of the table in 2020 to the 2022 prelim picking up the DallyM coach of the year in the process). But the last 3 years in the big chair have underwhemed (finishing 11th, 5th and 12th) and his crown has now slid to this point I doubt he'd get another head coaching gig in the NRL at this point of his career.
Upshot being this is the last chance saloon for Todd if he wants to continue coaching. He needs to take the Cowboys back to the winner circle. We'll see the best of Todd.
5 reasons 2026 won't be a better season for the Cowboys.
(1) Our recruitment & retension has been poor shit. We've seen some real quality walk out the door the last 2 years. In terms of regular first graders, since 2024 we've lost Finefuiaki, Robson, McLean, Val, Townsend (who was on good coin, even if you weren't a fan), Gilbert & the Hammer. Who have we brought in (and again, I'm talking established, regular first graders here) ? Bateman, Mahoney & Lodge (and I'm drawing a long bow with Lodge here).
We've lost quality, and largely recruited from the discards pile. Not good.
(2) The squad is worse than last year. We've lost McLean, who was rock solid and robust, and the current NSW rake in Robson. Mahoney looks decent cover for Robson, but Lodge v McLean? Not even close.
(3) We again look to be starting the season with an unsettled halves combo. 6-7 is probably the most critical combination for the flow of the side. And it was a revolving door last year between Dearden, Duffy, Clifford and Purdue, and no doubt that was part of our struggles. Given Dearden won the Wally Lewis at 7 for QLD, I thought tht part of the puzzle was at least locked in, but no, he's been training at 6 apparently.
I like Dearden at 6, but it makes the 7 is all the more critical.
Now I personally think Clifford isn't a guy you should be building a squad around (too inconsistant in his involvement & impact for mine), but the other option is Purdue, who has bucketloads of potential but is unproven at NRL level in the halves.
(4) Our three quarter line is full of inexperience. Vailea (49 games), Laybutt (22 games) , Derby (18 games), Paulo (66 games over 6 seasons), Burns (79 games over 9 seasons), Purdue (32 games).
Taulagi is the only guy with 100+ games, and he looks like he's leaving in 2027 (which will no doubt impact on his football this season) - yet another retention fail.
(5) BigJase is 32 this year and we're so damn dependant on him. Even moreso given Griff won't be ready for the start of the year (shoulder) and McLean is gone. Jase averages 154 running meters per game (no other forward in our side averages over 100 metres per game). He's been amazingly robust across his career, but he only managed 10 games in 2025. Hopefully that's not a sign of things to come.
