# 2023 North Queensland Cowboys season

The 2023 North Queensland Cowboys season was the 29th in the club's history. Coached by Todd Payten and captained by Jason Taumalolo and Chad Townsend, they competed in the NRL's 2023 Telstra Premiership but did not qualify for the finals.

## Season summary
### Milestones

* Round 1: Jamayne Taunoa-Brown played his 50th NRL game.
* Round 3: Tom Chester scored his first NRL try.
* Round 3: Gehamat Shibasaki made his debut for the club.
* Round 5: Riley Price made his NRL debut.
* Round 7: Jack Gosiewski made his debut for the club.
* Round 10: Kulikefu Finefeuiaki made his NRL debut.
* Round 10: Jack Gosiewski scored his first try for the club.
* Round 13: Robert Derby and Zac Laybutt made their NRL debuts.

### Squad
## Squad movement
### Gains

| Player | Signed From | Until End of |
| Jack Gosiewski | St George Illawarra Dragons | 2023 |
| Sam McIntyre | Gold Coast Titans (mid-season) | 2024 |
| James Tamou | Wests Tigers | 2023 |
| Semi Valemei | Canberra Raiders (mid-season) | 2025 |

### Losses

| Player | Signed To | Until End of |
| Iosefo Baleiwairiki | Fijian Drua | 2023 |
| Kane Bradley | Brisbane Tigers | 2023 |
| Brendan Frei | Wynnum Manly Seagulls | 2023 |
| Tom Gilbert | Dolphins | 2025 |
| Connelly Lemuelu | Dolphins | 2024 |
| Jordan Lipp | Western Clydesdales (mid-season) | 2023 |
| Morgan McWhirter | North Sydney Bears | 2023 |
| Laitia Moceidreke | Newcastle Knights (mid-season) | 2023 |
| Emry Pere | Burleigh Bears | 2023 |
| Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow | Dolphins | 2024 |
| Tyreece Woods | Newcastle Knights | 2023 |

### Re-signings

| Player | Signed From | Until End of | Notes |
| Jeremiah Nanai | North Queensland Cowboys | 2027 | |

## Ladder

2023 NRL seasonvte :
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | B | PF | PA | PD | Pts |
| 1 | Penrith Panthers (P) | 24 | 18 | 0 | 6 | 3 | 645 | 312 | +333 | 42 |
| 2 | Brisbane Broncos | 24 | 18 | 0 | 6 | 3 | 639 | 425 | +214 | 42 |
| 3 | Melbourne Storm | 24 | 16 | 0 | 8 | 3 | 627 | 459 | +168 | 38 |
| 4 | New Zealand Warriors | 24 | 16 | 0 | 8 | 3 | 572 | 448 | +124 | 38 |
| 5 | Newcastle Knights | 24 | 14 | 1 | 9 | 3 | 626 | 451 | +175 | 35 |
| 6 | Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks | 24 | 14 | 0 | 10 | 3 | 619 | 497 | +122 | 34 |
| 7 | Sydney Roosters | 24 | 13 | 0 | 11 | 3 | 472 | 496 | −24 | 32 |
| 8 | Canberra Raiders | 24 | 13 | 0 | 11 | 3 | 486 | 623 | −137 | 32 |
| 9 | South Sydney Rabbitohs | 24 | 12 | 0 | 12 | 3 | 564 | 505 | +59 | 30 |
| 10 | Parramatta Eels | 24 | 12 | 0 | 12 | 3 | 587 | 574 | +13 | 30 |
| 11 | North Queensland Cowboys | 24 | 12 | 0 | 12 | 3 | 546 | 542 | +4 | 30 |
| 12 | Manly Warringah Sea Eagles | 24 | 11 | 1 | 12 | 3 | 545 | 539 | +6 | 29 |
| 13 | Dolphins | 24 | 9 | 0 | 15 | 3 | 520 | 631 | −111 | 24 |
| 14 | Gold Coast Titans | 24 | 9 | 0 | 15 | 3 | 527 | 653 | −126 | 24 |
| 15 | Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs | 24 | 7 | 0 | 17 | 3 | 438 | 769 | −331 | 20 |
| 16 | St. George Illawarra Dragons | 24 | 5 | 0 | 19 | 3 | 474 | 673 | −199 | 16 |
| 17 | Wests Tigers | 24 | 4 | 0 | 20 | 3 | 385 | 675 | −290 | 14 |

## Fixtures
### Pre-season

| Date | Round | Opponent | Venue | Score | Tries | Goals | Attendance |
| Saturday, 12 February | Trial 1 | Dolphins | Barlow Park | 22 – 22 | Derby (2), Moceidreke (2) | Duffy (3/4), Laybutt (0/1) | 6,922 |
| Saturday, 18 February | Trial 2 | Brisbane Broncos | Sunshine Coast Stadium | 18 - 22 | Holmes, Feldt, Nanai | Holmes (3/3) | |
| Legend: Win Loss Draw Bye ||||||||

### Regular season

| Round | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 |
| Ground | H | A | H | H | A | H | A | H | A | N | H | A | A | H | – | H | A | H | – | A | H | A | H | – | H | A | A |
| Result | W | L | L | W | L | L | L | W | L | W | W | L | L | W | B | W | W | W | B | W | W | L | L | B | L | W | L |
| Position | 8 | 13 | 15 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 15 | 16 | 14 | 13 | 14 | 16 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 7 | 8 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 11 |
| Points | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 12 | 14 | 16 | 18 | 20 | 22 | 24 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 28 | 28 | 30 | 30 |
| Date | Round | Opponent | Venue | Score | Tries | Goals | Attendance |
| Saturday, 4 March | Round 1 | Canberra Raiders | QCB Stadium | 19 - 18 | Taulagi, Drinkwater (2) | Holmes (3/5), Townsend (1 FG) | 19,855 |
| Friday, 10 March | Round 2 | Brisbane Broncos | Suncorp Stadium | 16 - 28 | Nanai (2) | Holmes (4/4) | 43,162 |
| Saturday, 18 March | Round 3 | NZ Warriors | QCB Stadium | 12 – 26 | Chester, Robson | Holmes (2/2) | 17,818 |
| Saturday, 25 March | Round 4 | Gold Coast Titans | QCB Stadium | 24 – 12 | Chester, Holmes, Nanai, Tamou | Holmes (4/4) | 16,426 |
| Sunday, 2 April | Round 5 | Canterbury Bulldogs | Accor Stadium | 14 – 15 | Chester, Dearden | Holmes (3/4) | 9,626 |
| Friday, 7 April | Round 6 | Dolphins | QCB Stadium | 22 – 32 | Feldt (2), Hess, Holmes | Holmes (3/4) | 22,811 |
| Saturday, 15 April | Round 7 | NZ Warriors | Mount Smart Stadium | 14 – 22 | Cotter, Holmes, Taulagi | Holmes (1/3) | 23,695 |
| Saturday, 22 April | Round 8 | Newcastle Knights | QCB Stadium | 18 – 16 | Dearden, Feldt, Robson | Holmes (3/3) | 17,970 |
| Thursday, 27 April | Round 9 | Cronulla Sharks | PointsBet Stadium | 6 – 44 | Feldt | Holmes (1/1) | 8,148 |
| Sunday, 7 May | Round 10 | Sydney Roosters | Suncorp Stadium | 20 – 6 | Cotter, Gosiewski, Townsend | Holmes (4/4) | 45,085 |
| Saturday, 13 May | Round 11 | St George Illawarra Dragons | QCB Stadium | 46 – 26 | Feldt (2), Gosiewski, Luki (2), Dearden (2) | Holmes (6/7, 1 2pt FG) | 17,852 |
| Saturday, 20 May | Round 12 | Wests Tigers | Leichhardt Oval | 18 – 66 | Cotter, Feldt, Leilua | Holmes (3/3) | 12,247 |
| Friday, 26 May | Round 13 | Parramatta Eels | CommBank Stadium | 16 – 24 | Feldt (2), Drinkwater | Townsend (2/3) | 14,810 |
| Sunday, 4 June | Round 14 | Melbourne Storm | QCB Stadium | 45 – 20 | Valemei (3), Holmes, Taulagi (2), Nanai, Townsend | Holmes (6/8), Townsend (1 FG) | 18,867 |
| | Round 15 | Bye | Bye | Bye | Bye | Bye | Bye |
| Friday, 16 June | Round 16 | Penrith Panthers | QCB Stadium | 27 – 23 | Drinkwater (2), Dearden, Finefeuiaki, Feldt | Townsend (3/4, 1 FG) | 17,277 |
| Sunday, 25 June | Round 17 | South Sydney Rabbitohs | Accor Stadium | 31 – 6 | Taulagi, Holmes (2), Finefeuiaki, Dearden | Drinkwater (1 FG), Holmes (5/6) | 11,262 |
| Saturday, 1 July | Round 18 | Wests Tigers | QCB Stadium | 74 – 0 | Taulagi (3), Drinkwater (2), Holmes (2), Valemei (2), Dearden, Leilua, McLean, Nanai | Holmes (11/13) | 30,606 |
| | Round 19 | Bye | Bye | Bye | Bye | Bye | Bye |
| Saturday, 15 July | Round 20 | Manly Sea Eagles | 4 Pines Park | 19 – 8 | Cotter, Nanai, Drinkwater | Holmes (3/3) | 13,240 |
| Saturday, 22 July | Round 21 | Parramatta Eels | QCB Stadium | 24 - 16 | Hiku, Valemei (2), Drinkwater | Holmes (4/5) | 20,710 |
| Sunday, 30 July | Round 22 | Gold Coast Titans | Cbus Super Stadium | 13 – 22 | Hess, Valemei | Holmes (2/2), Townsend (1 FG) | 16,516 |
| Saturday, 5 August | Round 23 | Brisbane Broncos | QCB Stadium | 14 – 30 | Feldt (2), Luki | Townsend (1/4) | 22,659 |
| | Round 24 | Bye | Bye | Bye | Bye | Bye | Bye |
| Thursday, 17 August | Round 25 | Cronulla Sharks | QCB Stadium | 12 – 32 | Drinkwater, Valemei | Drinkwater (2/2) | 17,318 |
| Friday, 25 August | Round 26 | Dolphins | Suncorp Stadium | 34 – 10 | Laybutt (2), Drinkwater, Feldt, Hiku, Taulagi | Drinkwater (5/6) | 33,449 |
| Saturday, 2 September | Round 27 | Penrith Panthers | BlueBet Stadium | 12 – 44 | Laybutt, Neame | Drinkwater (2/2) | 21,525 |
| Legend: Win Loss Draw Bye ||||||||

## Statistics

| Name | App | T | G | FG | Pts |
| Tom Chester | 7 | 3 | - | - | 12 |
| Reuben Cotter | 20 | 4 | - | - | 16 |
| Tom Dearden | 23 | 7 | - | - | 28 |
| Robert Derby | 1 | - | - | - | - |
| Scott Drinkwater | 21 | 11 | 9 | 1 | 63 |
| Mitchell Dunn | 8 | – | - | - | - |
| Brendan Elliot | 2 | – | - | - | - |
| Kyle Feldt | 18 | 13 | - | - | 52 |
| Kulikefu Finefeuiaki | 12 | 2 | - | - | 8 |
| Jack Gosiewski | 7 | 2 | - | - | 8 |
| Jake Granville | 24 | – | - | - | - |
| Ben Hampton | 1 | - | - | - | - |
| Coen Hess | 24 | 2 | - | - | 8 |
| Peta Hiku | 22 | 2 | - | - | 8 |
| Valentine Holmes | 18 | 8 | 68 | 1 | 170 |
| Zac Laybutt | 4 | 3 | - | - | 12 |
| Luciano Leilua | 13 | 2 | - | - | 8 |
| Heilum Luki | 13 | 3 | - | - | 12 |
| Sam McIntyre | 2 | - | - | - | - |
| Jordan McLean | 22 | 1 | - | - | 4 |
| Jeremiah Nanai | 13 | 6 | - | - | 24 |
| Griffin Neame | 17 | 1 | - | - | 4 |
| Riley Price | 2 | – | - | - | - |
| Reece Robson | 23 | 2 | - | - | 8 |
| Gehamat Shibasaki | 2 | – | - | - | - |
| James Tamou | 3 | 1 | - | - | 4 |
| Murray Taulagi | 20 | 9 | - | - | 36 |
| Jason Taumalolo | 16 | – | - | - | - |
| Jamayne Taunoa-Brown | 17 | - | - | - | - |
| Chad Townsend | 24 | 2 | 6 | 5 | 25 |
| Semi Valemei | 9 | 9 | - | - | 36 |
| Totals | | 93 | 87 | 7 | 546 |
Source:

## Representatives

The following players played a representative match in 2023.
| | All Stars match | State of Origin 1 | State of Origin 2 | State of Origin 3 | Prime Minister's XIII |
| Reuben Cotter | | Queensland | Queensland | Queensland | Australia |
| Robert Derby | | | | | Papua New Guinea |
| Valentine Holmes | | Queensland | Queensland | Queensland | |
| Zac Laybutt | | | | | Papua New Guinea |
| Jeremiah Nanai | | Queensland | Queensland | Queensland | |
| Murray Taulagi | | Queensland | Queensland | Queensland | Australia |
| Reece Robson | | | New South Wales | New South Wales | Australia |
| Jamayne Taunoa-Brown | Indigenous All Stars | | | | |

## Honours
### Club

* Paul Bowman Medal: Scott Drinkwater
* Players' Player: Scott Drinkwater
* The Cowboys Way Award: Jordan McLean
* Rookie of the Year: Kulikefu Finefeuiaki
* JCU Education Award: Reuben Cotter
* Young Guns Cowboys Way Award: Wil Sullivan
* Club Person of the Year: James Tamou
* Fans Choice Player of the Year: Reuben Cotter

## Feeder Clubs
### Queensland Cup

While still affiliated with the Cutters and Pride, the Cowboys used the Blackhawks as their sole feeder club for their NRL players in 2023.
* Mackay Cutters – 14th, missed finals
* Northern Pride – 7th, lost elimination final
* Townsville Blackhawks – 12th, missed finals

## Women's team

The North Queensland Cowboys Women's team competed in their first season of the NRL Women's Premiership in 2023. They finished 9th, winning two games and losing seven. They were coached by Ben Jeffries and captained by Kirra Dibb and Tallisha Harden.