2025 North Queensland Cowboys season
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NRL Rank12th
2025 recordWins: 9; draws: 1; losses: 14
Points scoredFor: 538; against: 684
CEOJeff Reibel
| 2025 North Queensland Cowboys season | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NRL Rank | 12th | |||
| 2025 record | Wins: 9; draws: 1; losses: 14 | |||
| Points scored | For: 538; against: 684 | |||
| Team information | ||||
| CEO | Jeff Reibel | |||
| Coach | Todd Payten | |||
| Captain | ||||
| Stadium | Queensland Country Bank Stadium | |||
| Avg. attendance | 18,649 | |||
| High attendance | 22,903 (vs. Brisbane, Rd 26) | |||
| Top scorers | ||||
| Tries | Jaxon Purdue(14) | |||
| Goals | Scott Drinkwater (70) | |||
| Points | Scott Drinkwater (184) | |||
| ||||
The 2025 North Queensland Cowboys season was the 31st in the club's history. Coached by Todd Payten and captained by Reuben Cotter and Tom Dearden, they competed in the NRL's 2025 Telstra Premiership.
The club celebrated its 30th anniversary during the season, missing out on the finals for the third time in Payten's five years in charge.[1]
Milestones
- Round 1: Tom Duffy made his NRL debut.
- Round 1: John Bateman and Karl Lawton made their debuts for the club.
- Round 2: Kai O'Donnell made his debut for the club.
- Round 3: Murray Taulagi scored his 50th NRL try.
- Round 4: Robert Derby scored his first NRL try.
- Round 8: Murray Taulagi played his 100th NRL game for the club.
- Round 13: Jaxson Paulo made his debut for the club.
- Round 13: Jaxson Paulo and John Bateman scored their first tries for the club.
- Round 15: Kaiden Lahrs made his NRL debut.
- Round 15: Jordan McLean played his 150 NRL game for the club.
- Round 18: Temple Kalepo made his NRL debut.
- Round 18: Scott Drinkwater scored his 50th NRL try.
- Round 22: Marly Bitungane made his NRL debut.
- Round 23: Nic Lenaz made his NRL debut.
- Round 26: Reuben Cotter playe his 100th NRL game for the club.
Squad
Squad movement
Gains
| Player | Signed from | Until end of | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| John Bateman |  Wests Tigers | 2026 | |
| Zac Herdegen |  Redcliffe Dolphins | 2025 | |
| Temple Kalepo |  Mackay Cutters (mid-season) | 2025 | |
| Karl Lawton |  Manly Sea Eagles | 2026 | |
| Nic Lenaz | Manly Sea Eagles | 2025 | |
| Kai O'Donnell |  Leigh Leopards | 2026 | |
| Jaxson Paulo | Manly Sea Eagles | 2026 |
Losses
| Player | Signed to | Until end of | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jodeci Baker-Tiraha |  Brisbane Tigers | 2025 | |
| Mutua Brown |  Canberra Raiders (mid-season) | 2026 | |
| Kyle Feldt |  St Helens | 2026 | |
| Kulikefu Finefeuiaki |  Dolphins | 2027 | |
| Jake Granville | Retired | – | |
| Jai Hansen |  CQ Capras | 2025 | |
| Valentine Holmes |  St George Illawarra | 2027 | |
| D'Jazirhae Pua'avase | Manly Sea Eagles | 2025 | |
| Wil Sullivan |  Newcastle Knights (mid-season) | 2028 | |
| Jamayne Taunoa-Brown | Retired | – | |
| Chad Townsend |  Sydney Roosters | 2025 |
Re-signings
| Player | Until End of | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Tom Chester | 2026 | |
| Robert Derby | 2028 | |
| Zac Laybutt | 2027 | |
| Viliami Vailea | 2027 |
Ladder
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | B | PF | PA | PD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Canberra Raiders |
24 | 19 | 0 | 5 | 3 | 654 | 506 | +148 | 44 | Advance to finals series |
| 2 |  Melbourne Storm |
24 | 17 | 0 | 7 | 3 | 671 | 459 | +212 | 40 | |
| 3 |  Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs |
24 | 16 | 0 | 8 | 3 | 534 | 414 | +120 | 38 | |
| 4 |  Brisbane Broncos (P) |
24 | 15 | 0 | 9 | 3 | 680 | 508 | +172 | 36 | |
| 5 |  Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks |
24 | 15 | 0 | 9 | 3 | 599 | 490 | +109 | 36 | |
| 6 |  New Zealand Warriors |
24 | 14 | 0 | 10 | 3 | 517 | 496 | +21 | 34 | |
| 7 |  Penrith Panthers |
24 | 13 | 1 | 10 | 3 | 576 | 469 | +107 | 33 | |
| 8 | Sydney Roosters |
24 | 13 | 0 | 11 | 3 | 653 | 521 | +132 | 32 | |
| 9 | Dolphins |
24 | 12 | 0 | 12 | 3 | 721 | 596 | +125 | 30 | |
| 10 | Manly Warringah Sea Eagles |
24 | 12 | 0 | 12 | 3 | 555 | 534 | +21 | 30 | |
| 11 |  Parramatta Eels |
24 | 10 | 0 | 14 | 3 | 502 | 578 | −76 | 26 | |
| 12 |  North Queensland Cowboys |
24 | 9 | 1 | 14 | 3 | 538 | 684 | −146 | 25 | |
| 13 | Wests Tigers |
24 | 9 | 0 | 15 | 3 | 477 | 612 | −135 | 24 | |
| 14 |  South Sydney Rabbitohs |
24 | 9 | 0 | 15 | 3 | 427 | 608 | −181 | 24 | |
| 15 | St. George Illawarra Dragons |
24 | 8 | 0 | 16 | 3 | 498 | 628 | −130 | 22 | |
| 16 |  Gold Coast Titans |
24 | 6 | 0 | 18 | 3 | 520 | 719 | −199 | 18 | |
| 17 | Newcastle Knights |
24 | 6 | 0 | 18 | 3 | 338 | 638 | −300 | 18 |
Fixtures
Pre-season
| Date | Round | Opponent | Venue | Score | Tries | Goals | Attendance | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Friday, 14 February | Trial 1 | Dolphins | Barlow Park | 8 – 50 | Derby, Subloo | Rivett (0/1), Subloo (0/1) | 6,936 | |||
| Sunday, 23 February | Trial 2 | Melbourne Storm | Casey Fields | 36 – 24 | Drinkwater (2), Burns, Dearden, Paulo, Purdue, Vailea | Duffy (3/4), Drinkwater (1/3) | 6,000 | |||
| Legend: Win Loss Draw Bye | ||||||||||
Regular season
Results by round
Matches
| Date | Round | Opponent | Venue | Score | Tries | Goals | Attendance | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saturday, 8 March | Round 1 | Manly Warringah Sea Eagles | 4 Pines Park | 12 – 42 | Drinkwater, Burns | Duffy (1/1), Drinkwater (1/1) | 17,335 | |||
| Saturday, 15 March | Round 2 | Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks | QCB Stadium | 12 – 36 | Purdue, Drinkwater | Drinkwater (2/2) | 18,714 | |||
| Friday, 21 March | Round 3 | Brisbane Broncos | Suncorp Stadium | 16 – 26 | Neame, Taulagi, Purdue | Drinkwater (2/3) | 45,317 | |||
| Saturday, 29 March | Round 4 | Canberra Raiders | QCB Stadium | 30 – 20 | Taulagi, Clifford (2), Derby, Dearden | Drinkwater (4/5) | 15,897 | |||
| Friday, 4 April | Round 5 | Penrith Panthers | CommBank Stadium | 22 – 18 | Taulagi (2), Vailea, Purdue | Drinkwater (3/4) | 10,320 | |||
| Saturday, 12 April | Round 6 | South Sydney Rabbitohs | Optus Stadium | 24 – 16 | Taulagi, McIntyre, Purdue (2) | Drinkwater (2/4, 2 PG) | 31,347 | |||
| Round 7 | Bye | |||||||||
| Saturday, 26 April | Round 8 | Gold Coast Titans | QCB Stadium | 50 – 18 | Clifford, Nanai (2), Derby (3), Purdue, Robson, Taulagi | Drinkwater (6/8), Taulagi (1/1) | 20,489 | |||
| Saturday, 3 May | Round 9 | New Zealand Warriors | Suncorp Stadium | 26 – 30 | Purdue, Dearden, Derby, Taulagi, Nanai | Drinkwater (3/5) | 49,512 | |||
| Saturday, 10 May | Round 10 | Penrith Panthers | QCB Stadium | 30 – 30 | Nanai, Vailea, Clifford, Derby, Dearden | Drinkwater (5/5) | 19,324 | |||
| Saturday, 17 May | Round 11 | Manly Warringah Sea Eagles | QCB Stadium | 6 – 24 | Derby | Drinkwater (1/2) | 18,965 | |||
| Round 12 | Bye | |||||||||
| Saturday, 31 May | Round 13 | Wests Tigers | QCB Stadium | 32 – 28 | Bateman, Dearden, Drinkwater, Nanai, Paulo, Purdue | Drinkwater (4/6), Laybutt (0/1) | 17,470 | |||
| Friday, 6 June | Round 14 | Melbourne Storm | AAMI Park | 14 – 38 | Derby, Drinkwater, Paulo | Drinkwater (1/3) | 19,096 | |||
| Saturday, 14 June | Round 15 | Dolphins | QCB Stadium | 4 – 58 | Taulagi | Drinkwater (0/1) | 18,343 | |||
| Sunday, 22 June | Round 16 | Sydney Roosters | Allianz Stadium | 8 – 42 | Burns, Taulagi | Drinkwater (0/1), Duffy (0/1) | 21,143 | |||
| Sunday, 29 June | Round 17 | Gold Coast Titans | Cbus Super Stadium | 30 – 24 | Drinkwater (2), Laybutt, Nanai, Taulagi | Clifford (3/3), Drinkwater (2/2) | 13,882 | |||
| Saturday, 5 July | Round 18 | Melbourne Storm | QCB Stadium | 20 – 26 | Derby, Drinkwater, Purdue | Drinkwater (3/3), Clifford (1/1) | 20,383 | |||
| Saturday, 12 July | Round 19 | Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs | QCB Stadium | 8 – 12 | Laybutt | Drinkwater (2/2) | 18,778 | |||
| Thursday, 17 July | Round 20 | Dolphins | Suncorp Stadium | 24 – 43 | Taulagi (2), Dearden, Drinkwater | Drinkwater (4/4) | 23,172 | |||
| Friday, 25 July | Round 21 | St George Illawarra Dragons | QCB Stadium | 38 – 32 | Dearden (2), Drinkwater, Hess, Laybutt, Nanai, Purdue | Drinkwater (5/8) | 16,020 | |||
| Sunday, 3 August | Round 22 | Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks | Sharks Stadium | 12 – 32 | Burns, Neame | Laybutt (2/2) | 6,321 | |||
| Sunday, 10 August | Round 23 | Parramatta Eels | CommBank Stadium | 18 – 19 | Purdue (2), Burns | Laybutt (3/4) | 11,562 | |||
| Sunday, 17 August | Round 24 | Newcastle Knights | QCB Stadium | 38 – 4 | Drinkwater (2), Burns, Dearden, Nanai, Purdue | Drinkwater (7/7) | 16,640 | |||
| Sunday, 24 August | Round 25 | Wests Tigers | Leichhardt Oval | 34 – 28 | Valemei (2), Burns, Dearden, Nanai, Purdue | Drinkwater (5/6) | 16,055 | |||
| Saturday, 30 August | Round 26 | Brisbane Broncos | QCB Stadium | 30 – 38 | Valemei (2), Burns, Clifford, Robson | Drinkwater (5/5) | 22,903 | |||
| Round 27 | Bye | |||||||||
| Legend: Win Loss Draw Bye | ||||||||||
Statistics
| Name | App | T | G | FG | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| John Bateman | 19 | 1 | - | - | 4 |
| Marly Bitungane | 2 | - | - | - | - |
| Braidon Burns | 13 | 7 | - | - | 28 |
| Jake Clifford | 14 | 5 | 4 | - | 28 |
| Reuben Cotter | 18 | - | - | - | - |
| Tom Dearden | 22 | 9 | - | - | 36 |
| Robert Derby | 17 | 9 | - | - | 36 |
| Scott Drinkwater | 24 | 11 | 70 | - | 184 |
| Tom Duffy | 6 | - | 1 | - | 2 |
| Harrison Edwards | 21 | - | - | - | - |
| Coen Hess | 21 | 1 | - | - | 4 |
| Temple Kalepo | 1 | - | - | - | - |
| Kaiden Lahrs | 7 | - | - | - | - |
| Karl Lawton | 11 | - | - | - | - |
| Zac Laybutt | 14 | 3 | 5 | - | 22 |
| Nic Lenaz | 1 | - | - | - | - |
| Sam McIntyre | 16 | 1 | - | - | 4 |
| Jordan McLean | 19 | - | - | - | - |
| Thomas Mikaele | 10 | - | - | - | - |
| Jeremiah Nanai | 21 | 9 | - | - | 36 |
| Griffin Neame | 20 | 2 | - | - | 8 |
| Kai O'Donnell | 18 | - | - | - | - |
| Jaxson Paulo | 3 | 2 | - | - | 8 |
| Jaxon Purdue | 24 | 14 | - | - | 56 |
| Reece Robson | 21 | 2 | - | - | 8 |
| Jamal Shibasaki | 1 | - | - | - | - |
| Murray Taulagi | 15 | 12 | 1 | - | 50 |
| Jason Taumalolo | 10 | - | - | - | - |
| Viliami Vailea | 14 | 2 | - | - | 8 |
| Semi Valemei | 4 | 4 | - | - | 16 |
| Totals | 94 | 81 | - | 538 |
Representatives
The following players played a representative match in 2025.
| State of Origin 1 | State of Origin 2 | State of Origin 3 | Prime Minister's XIII | Ashes Tour | Pacific Championships | End of Year Tests | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reuben Cotter | Queensland | Queensland | Queensland | – | Australia | – | – |
| Tom Dearden | Queensland | Queensland | Queensland | – | Australia | – | – |
| Robert Derby | – | – | – | Papua New Guinea | – | – | – |
| Harrison Edwards | – | – | – | Australia | – | – | – |
| Nic Lenaz | – | – | – | – | – | – | Italy |
| Jeremiah Nanai | Queensland | Queensland | Queensland | – | – | Samoa | – |
| Reece Robson | New South Wales | New South Wales | New South Wales | – | – | – | – |
| Jason Taumalolo | – | – | – | – | – | Tonga | – |
| Murray Taulagi | – | – | – | – | – | Samoa | – |
| Semi Valemei | – | – | – | – | – | Fiji | – |
Honours
Club
- Paul Bowman Medal: Tom Dearden[26]
- Players' Player: Tom Dearden[26]
- The Cowboys Way Award: Tom Chester & Heilum Luki[26]
- Rookie of the Year: Robert Derby[26]
- JCU Education Award: Tom Duffy[26]
- Affiliate Player of the Year: Marly Bitungane[26]
- Club Person of the Year: Braidon Burns[26]
- Townsville Bulletin Fan Award: Tom Dearden[26]
