Tipped by many to pick up the Wooden Spoon this season the Cowboys have blown the pundit predictions out of the water. Running in the top 4 for most the season this young Cowboys outfit has given their fans much to cheer about.

They started the season a little rocky with losses to the Bulldogs and Warriors, but grew leaps & bounds shifting Scott Drinkwater into the starting side, earning 3rd position on the ladder heading into the finals. Todd Payten has turned this team into a defensive juggernaut as they concede 15pts a game which is 2nd best in the competition.

After missing the post-season for 4 years straight they now have the chance to achieve something truly special. The Cowboys will be flying the Queensland flag as their state counterparts the Broncos and Titans failed to get their act together despite having some good talent. The Cowboys face a red hot Cronulla Sharks side at Shark Park so it’s going to be a huge test to earn a week off.

Key Strengths

1. Brick Wall: These Cowboys have proven tough to get past this year a huge amount of resilience in defence. The 16th best defence in 2021 has to be the biggest single season turn around the NRL has ever seen. Every report we’ve heard from every player is that Todd made them tackle their hearts out in pre-season and it shows. The Cowboys miss on average 28.7 tackles a game which is better than the defending premiers Penrith and the red hot Roosters. It is this philosophy that will see them through the finals.

They’ve claimed big wins over both Parramatta and the Storm this season and in those games they scored 30+ whilst keeping their opponents to a single score. It’s matches like this where they’ve shown the ability to strangle quality opposition and the Cowboys need to emulate that if they’re to stand a chance of taking home a trophy.

2. Young Stars: One of the most exciting things for the Cowboys in 2022 is their young players stepping up to the plate. Players like Cotter, Dearden, Robson, Nanai and Drinkwater have all been outstanding this year and they’re all 25 or younger. This was the biggest criticism of the Cowboys at the start of the year as most analysts said they wouldn’t be able to handle the pressure of the NRL. But Nanai is 3rd in tries with 17, Drinkwater is 7th in try assists and even Dearden is 13th in try assists as well showing you that this Cowboys team can put some serious points on the board.

On the flipside Reece Robson has improved his game out of sight. Robson has made 1000 tackles this season with only 44 misses that’s best tackle effiency among all hookers in the NRL. In our opinion Robson has elevated his game to be definitely in consideration for the Blues number 9 jersey. His run game is lethal at times and he stops much bigger players on a regular basis. Cotter's season was marred by injury and he must be one of the smallest props in the game, but nobody can deny this kids motor and drive to do everything he can for his team. This was evident in the Origin series this year when Queensland went down to 15 men he played 60+ mins on debut and didn’t look out of place in the slightest. I’d say the future is bright up North.

3. Points in Bunches: The Cowboys of 2022 are a team that can score some serious points averaging 26/game which is the 4th best in the league. Valentine Holmes scored the most points in the regular season and has been in superb goal kicking form this season kicking at 81%. The Cowboys can score points in bunches, often there games will be close and suddenly the other team can look up at the scoreboard and be down by 18+.

It’s no secret that this flurry of points is a result of high quality play by the spine. Dearden, Towsend and Drinkwater are among the top creators in competition this year. What a buy Chad Townsend has been. A journeyman for most of his career, many scoffed at this signing when it was first announced. He’s led the Cowboys with full commitment from start to finish and really unlocking Tom Dearden's potential. Many forget that Townsend was the Sharks halfback in 2016 when they won the comp and it’s this kind of experience that the Cowboys need if their to make a dent in this finals series.

Weakness

The Cowboys haven’t had the greatest success against top 8 teams this season with losses to the Rabbitohs, Penrith, Sharks and Roosters (twice). This puts them in the realm of uncertainty when it comes to how far can they go. Payten has been quite vocal about referees having an unspoken bias when it comes to teams who are viewed in the top tier and we somewhat agree. But this doesn’t erase the fact that most of these Cowboys haven’t played a finals game before and when they’ve gotten the chance to play teams that were going to be in the top 8 they’ve shrunk in the big moments, often finding themselves on the back foot struggling to gain ground.

This ties in to what we see as their other weakness. They’re inexperienced while the Cowboys young players have got them this far they could be the reason the Cowboys go home without the silverware this season. This is where guys like McLean, Taumalolo, Hess, Hiku, Holmes and Townsend need to step and lift the young guys. If they don’t it’ll be curtains for the Cowboys.

Starting 17

1. Scott Drinkwater
2. Kyle Feldt
3. Valentine Holmes
4. Peta Hiku
5. Murray Taulagi
6. Tom Dearden
7. Chad Townsend
8. Jordan McLean
9. Reece Robson
10. Reuben Cotter
11. Luciano Leilua
12. Jeremiah Nanai
13. Jason Taumalolo
14. Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow
15. Tom Gilbert
16. Coen Hess
17. Griffin Neale

The Verdict

North Queensland will beat the Sharks and push on through to a Preliminary Final for the first time since 2017.

Sadly though we see their campaign ending here with a loss to a formidable opponent with plenty of finals experience. We just think the Cowboys are too young at the moment but have locked in some quality young players for the future, so there’s plenty to look forward to Cowboys fans.