2024 North Queensland Cowboys season
Season of rugby league team
Avg. attendance
| ← 2023 | 2025 → |
The 2024 North Queensland Cowboys season is the 30th in the club's history. Coached by Todd Payten and captained by Reuben Cotter and Tom Dearden, they compete in the NRL's 2024 Telstra Premiership. Cotter and Dearden captain the club for the first time, replacing Jason Taumalolo and Chad Townsend.[1]
Season summary
Milestones
- Round 4: Reece Robson played his 100th NRL game.
- Round 5: Jake Granville played his 200th NRL game for the club.
- Round 5: Kyle Feldt scored his 131st try, becoming the club's all-time leading tryscorer.[2]
- Round 6: Scott Drinkwater played his 100th NRL game.
- Round 7: Scott Drinkwater played his 100th NRL game for the club.
- Round 7: Griffin Neame played his 50th NRL game for the club.
- Round 8: Tom Mikaele made his debut for the club.
- Round 8: Kyle Feldt played his 200th NRL game for the club.
- Round 8: Chad Townsend played his 250th NRL game.
- Round 9: Viliami Vailea made his debut for the club.
- Round 10: Harrison Edwards made his debut for the club.
- Round 10: Jeremiah Nanai played his 50th NRL game for the club.
- Round 11: Braidon Burns made his debut and scored his first try for the club.
- Round 11: Viliami Vailea scored his first try for the club.
- Round 11: Sam McIntyre played his 50th NRL game.
- Round 13: Jaxon Purdue and Jamal Shibasaki made their NRL debuts.
- Round 15: Reece Robson played his 100th NRL game for the club.
- Round 15: Valentine Holmes scored his 100th NRL try.
- Round 17: Jaxon Purdue scored his first NRL try.
- Round 20: Heilum Luki played his 50th NRL game for the club.
- Round 24: Tom Dearden played his 100th NRL game.
Squad
| Top 30 squad – 2024 NRL season | Supplementary list | Coaching staff | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|
Extended squad
| Head coach Assistant coaches
Updated: 8 May 2024 | |||||
Squad movement
Gains
| Player | Signed From | Until End of | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Braidon Burns |  South Sydney Rabbitohs (mid-season) | 2025 | [5] |
| Jake Clifford |  Hull F.C. | 2024 | [6] |
| Harrison Edwards |  Canterbury Bulldogs (mid-season) | 2026 | [7] |
| Tom Mikaele |  Warrington Wolves | 2024 | [8] |
| Viliami Vailea |  New Zealand Warriors | 2025 | [9] |
Losses
| Player | Signed To | Until End of | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jake Bourke |  Townsville Blackhawks | 2024 | [10] |
| Mitch Dunn | Retired | – | [11] |
| Brendan Elliot | Released | – | [12] |
| Jack Gosiewski |  Brisbane Broncos (mid-season) | 2025 | [13] |
| Ben Hampton | Released | – | [14] |
| Peta Hiku |  Hull Kingston Rovers | 2026 | [15] |
| Luciano Leilua |  St George Illawarra Dragons | 2026 | [16] |
| Sylvester Namo |  Castleford Tigers | 2025 | [17] |
| Riley Price |  Penrith Panthers | 2025 | [18] |
| Taniela Sadrugu |  CA Brive | 2024 | [19] |
| Gehamat Shibasaki | Townsville Blackhawks | 2024 | [20] |
| James Tamou | Townsville Blackhawks | 2024 | [21] |
| Ragarive Wavik | Canterbury Bulldogs | 2024 | [22] |
Re-signings
| Player | Until End of | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Coen Hess | 2027 | [23] |
| Heilum Luki | 2029 | [24] |
| Sam McIntyre | 2026 | [25] |
| Tom Mikaele | 2027 | [26] |
Ladder
| Pos | Team
| Pld | W | D | L | B | PF | PA | PD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Melbourne Storm (M) | 23 | 18 | 0 | 5 | 3 | 642 | 437 | +205 | 42 | Advance to finals series |
| 2 |  Sydney Roosters (Q) | 22 | 15 | 0 | 7 | 3 | 690 | 421 | +269 | 36 | |
| 3 |  Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks (Q) | 22 | 15 | 0 | 7 | 3 | 585 | 381 | +204 | 36 | |
| 4 | Penrith Panthers (Q) | 22 | 15 | 0 | 7 | 3 | 528 | 370 | +158 | 36 | |
| 5 | Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs (Q) | 22 | 14 | 0 | 8 | 3 | 501 | 355 | +146 | 34 | |
| 6 |  North Queensland Cowboys (Q) | 23 | 14 | 0 | 9 | 3 | 613 | 562 | +51 | 34 | |
| 7 |  Manly Warringah Sea Eagles (Q) | 22 | 12 | 1 | 9 | 3 | 580 | 459 | +121 | 31 | |
| 8 | St. George Illawarra Dragons | 22 | 11 | 0 | 11 | 3 | 444 | 564 | −120 | 28 | |
| 9 | Brisbane Broncos | 22 | 10 | 0 | 12 | 3 | 519 | 517 | +2 | 26 | |
| 10 |  Dolphins | 22 | 10 | 0 | 12 | 3 | 531 | 558 | −27 | 26 | |
| 11 |  Newcastle Knights | 22 | 10 | 0 | 12 | 3 | 420 | 490 | −70 | 26 | |
| 12 |  Canberra Raiders | 22 | 10 | 0 | 12 | 3 | 434 | 565 | −131 | 26 | |
| 13 |  Gold Coast Titans (X) | 22 | 8 | 0 | 14 | 3 | 462 | 602 | −140 | 22 | |
| 14 | New Zealand Warriors (X) | 23 | 8 | 1 | 14 | 2 | 482 | 546 | −64 | 21 | |
| 15 | South Sydney Rabbitohs (X) | 22 | 7 | 0 | 15 | 3 | 454 | 612 | −158 | 20 | |
| 16 |  Wests Tigers (X) | 23 | 6 | 0 | 17 | 3 | 437 | 690 | −253 | 18 | |
| 17 |  Parramatta Eels (X) | 22 | 5 | 0 | 17 | 3 | 457 | 650 | −193 | 16 |
Updated to match(es) played on 29 August 2024. Source: National Rugby League
(M) J. J. Giltinan Shield winners; (Q) Qualified for finals series; (X) Cannot qualify for finals
(M) J. J. Giltinan Shield winners; (Q) Qualified for finals series; (X) Cannot qualify for finals
Fixtures
Pre-season
| Date | Round | Opponent | Venue | Score | Tries | Goals | Attendance | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saturday, 18 February | Trial 1 | Brisbane Broncos | BB Print Stadium | 20–46 | Finefeuiaki, Mullany, Purdue, Valemei | Mullany (1/1), Purdue (1/1), Duffy (0/2) | 5,332 | |||
| Sunday, 25 February | Trial 2 | Canberra Raiders | Seiffert Oval | 36–26 | Feldt (3), Mikaele (2), Laybutt, Taulagi | Holmes (2/4), Drinkwater (1/2), Laybutt (1/1) | 6,048 | |||
| Legend: Win Loss Draw Bye | ||||||||||
Regular season
Results by round
Source: National Rugby League
A = Away; H = Home; N = Neutral; B = Bye; W = Win; D = Draw; L = Loss
A = Away; H = Home; N = Neutral; B = Bye; W = Win; D = Draw; L = Loss
Matches
| Date | Round | Opponent | Venue | Score | Tries | Goals | Attendance | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sunday, 10 March | Round 1 | Dolphins | Suncorp Stadium | 43–18 | Laybutt (2), Dearden, Feldt, Luki, Nanai, Taulagi | Holmes (7/7), Townsend (1 FG) | 32,477 | |||
| Saturday, 16 March | Round 2 | Newcastle Knights | QCB Stadium | 21–20 (g.p.) | Dearden, Feldt, Nanai, Townsend | Holmes (3/5), Townsend (1 FG) | 18,986 | |||
| Saturday, 23 March | Round 3 | St. George Illawarra Dragons | Netstrata Jubilee Stadium | 46–24 | Taulagi, McIntyre, Neame, Drinkwater, Finefeuiaki, Dearden, Holmes, Townsend | Holmes (7/8) | 9,252 | |||
| Friday, 29 March | Round 4 | Brisbane Broncos | Suncorp Stadium | 12–38 | Holmes, Drinkwater | Holmes (2/2) | 45,793 | |||
| Sunday, 7 April | Round 5 | Gold Coast Titans | QCB Stadium | 35–22 | Laybutt, Taulagi, Drinkwater (2), Robson, Feldt | Holmes (5/6), Townsend (1 FG) | 18,870 | |||
| Saturday, 13 April | Round 6 | Parramatta Eels | CommBank Stadium | 20–27 | Nanai, Chester, Holmes, Drinkwater | Holmes (2/4) | 14,443 | |||
| Sunday, 21 April | Round 7 | Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks | PointsBet Stadium | 6–42 | Holmes | Holmes (1/1) | 12,415 | |||
| Saturday, 27 April | Round 8 | Penrith Panthers | QCB Stadium | 20–26 | Valemei, Holmes, Finefeuiaki, Nanai | Holmes (2/4) | 20,960 | |||
| Saturday, 4 May | Round 9 | Dolphins | QCB Stadium | 26–28 | Feldt, Cotter, Nanai (2), McIntyre | Holmes (3/5) | 20,967 | |||
| Sunday, 12 May | Round 10 | Gold Coast Titans | Cbus Super Stadium | 18–20 | Nanai (2), Feldt | Holmes (3/3) | 12,125 | |||
| Saturday, 18 May | Round 11 | South Sydney Rabbitohs | Suncorp Stadium | 28–22 | Burns (2), Dearden (2), Vailea | Holmes (4/6) | 50,708 | |||
| Friday, 24 May | Round 12 | Wests Tigers | QCB Stadium | 42–28 | Feldt (2), Holmes (2), Nanai (2), McIntyre | Holmes (7/8) | 15,947 | |||
| Sunday, 2 June | Round 13 | Sydney Roosters | Allianz Stadium | 18–16 | Burns, Drinkwater, Finefeuiaki | Drinkwater (3/5) | 13,811 | |||
| Saturday, 8 June | Round 14 | New Zealand Warriors | QCB Stadium | 12–42 | Drinkwater, Burns | Holmes (2/2) | 19,623 | |||
| Friday, 14 June | Round 15 | Canberra Raiders | GIO Stadium | 34–16 | Feldt (2), Luki, Nanai, Holmes, Robson | Holmes (5/6) | 9,671 | |||
| Round 16 | Bye | |||||||||
| Sunday, 30 June | Round 17 | Penrith Panthers | BlueBet Stadium | 16–6 | Feldt, Burns, Purdue | Holmes (2/3) | 15,777 | |||
| Saturday, 6 July | Round 18 | Manly Warringah Sea Eagles | QCB Stadium | 20–21 (g.p.) | Townsend, Cotter, Feldt | Holmes (3/3), Drinkwater (1 2pt FG) | 18,787 | |||
| Round 19 | Bye | |||||||||
| Sunday, 21 July | Round 20 | Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs | QCB Stadium | 20–18 | Luki (2), Purdue | Holmes (4/4) | 16,376 | |||
| Saturday, 27 July | Round 21 | Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks | QCB Stadium | 30–22 | Feldt (3), Nanai, Taulagi | Holmes (5/6) | 17,907 | |||
| Thursday, 1 August | Round 22 | Wests Tigers | Leichhardt Oval | 48–30 | Taulagi (3), Drinkwater (2), Dearden, Feldt, Holmes | Holmes (7/8), Drinkwater (1/1) | 7,231 | |||
| Saturday, 10 August | Round 23 | Brisbane Broncos | QCB Stadium | 18–42 | Dearden, Feldt, Vailea | Holmes (3/3) | 24,230 | |||
| Saturday, 17 August | Round 24 | Canberra Raiders | QCB Stadium | 42–4 | Holmes (3), Feldt (2), Clifford, Dearden | Holmes | 17,920 | |||
| Round 25 | Bye | |||||||||
| Thursday, 29 August | Round 26 | Melbourne Storm | QCB Stadium | |||||||
| Saturday, 7 September | Round 27 | Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs | Accor Stadium | |||||||
| Legend: Win Loss Draw Bye | ||||||||||
Statistics
| Name | App | T | G | FG | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Braidon Burns | 4 | 5 | - | - | 20 |
| Tom Chester | 5 | 1 | - | - | 4 |
| Jake Clifford | 4 | 1 | 1 | - | 6 |
| Reuben Cotter | 19 | 2 | - | - | 8 |
| Tom Dearden | 20 | 8 | - | - | 32 |
| Scott Drinkwater | 22 | 9 | 6 | 1 | 50 |
| Harrison Edwards | 11 | - | - | - | - |
| Kyle Feldt | 21 | 18 | - | - | 72 |
| Kulikefu Finefeuiaki | 22 | 3 | - | - | 12 |
| Jack Gosiewski | 5 | - | - | - | - |
| Jake Granville | 12 | - | - | - | - |
| Valentine Holmes | 20 | 12 | 80 | - | 208 |
| Zac Laybutt | 4 | 3 | - | - | 12 |
| Heilum Luki | 15 | 4 | - | - | 16 |
| Sam McIntyre | 22 | 3 | - | - | 12 |
| Jordan McLean | 19 | - | - | - | - |
| Tom Mikaele | 11 | - | - | - | - |
| Jeremiah Nanai | 19 | 12 | - | - | 48 |
| Griffin Neame | 22 | 1 | - | - | 4 |
| Jaxon Purdue | 8 | 2 | - | - | 8 |
| Reece Robson | 19 | 2 | - | - | 8 |
| Jamal Shibasaki | 1 | - | - | - | - |
| Murray Taulagi | 14 | 7 | - | - | 28 |
| Jason Taumalolo | 19 | - | - | - | - |
| Chad Townsend | 20 | 3 | - | 3 | 15 |
| Viliami Vailea | 14 | 2 | - | - | 8 |
| Semi Valemei | 4 | 1 | - | - | 4 |
| Totals | 99 | 87 | 4 | 575 |
Source:[27]
Representatives
The following players played a representative match in 2024.
| State of Origin 1 | State of Origin 2 | State of Origin 3 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reuben Cotter | Queensland | Queensland | Queensland |
| Tom Dearden | Queensland | Queensland | Queensland |
| Valentine Holmes | Queensland | Queensland | Queensland |
| Jeremiah Nanai | Queensland | Queensland | Queensland |
| Reece Robson | New South Wales | New South Wales | New South Wales |
| Murray Taulagi | Queensland | Queensland | Queensland |
Feeder clubs
References
- ^ "Cowboys crown new captains". NQ Cowboys. 28 January 2024.
- ^ "King Kyle claims Bowen's crown as Cowboys salute". NRL. 7 April 2024.
- ^ Development players train with the Top 30 squad but cannot play NRL until after Round 10
- ^ Players in the extended squad train with the Top 30 squad but are on train and trial or junior contracts
- ^ "Cowboys sign Burns". NQ Cowboys. 6 May 2024.
- ^ "Clifford comes home". NQ Cowboys. 2 August 2023.
- ^ "Cowboys sign Edwards". NQ Cowboys. 26 April 2024.
- ^ "Mikaele joins Cowboys". NQ Cowboys. 7 December 2023.
- ^ "Cowboys sign Vailea". NQ Cowboys. 26 July 2023.
- ^ "Ex-Cowboy Jake Bourke ditches French club after 10 days to sign with Blackhawks". Townsville Bulletin. 9 January 2024.
- ^ "Dunn joins coaching ranks". NQ Cowboys. 8 November 2023.
- ^ "Cowboys to farewell nine departing players". NQ Cowboys. 19 September 2023.
- ^ "Gosiewski Joins Broncos Through 2025". Brisbane Broncos. 29 April 2024.
- ^ "Recently departed Cowboys utility surprising new job". Zero Tackle. 29 October 2023.
- ^ "Hull KR secure Kiwis' star Peta Hiku on three-year deal". Hull KR. 21 May 2023.
- ^ "Dragons secure Luciano Leilua and extend Corey Allan". St George Illawarra Dragons. 24 February 2024.
- ^ "Namo is a Tiger". Castleford Tigers. 1 October 2023.
- ^ "Panthers sign Cowboys forward as club confirms development players". Zero Tackle. 13 September 2023.
- ^ "French rugby club CA Brive raid Cowboys for Taniela Sadrugu". Townsville Bulletin. 10 August 2023.
- ^ "Which clubs have signed the nine released Cowboys for 2024". Townsville Bulletin. 25 October 2023.
- ^ "Cowboys legend James Tamou to play on with Townsville Blackhawks in 2024". Townsville Bulletin. 21 September 2023.
- ^ "Junior Cowboys fullback reportedly leaves for Sydney club". Zero Tackle. 30 October 2023.
- ^ "Hess on track to be a Cowboy for life". NQ Cowboys. 31 May 2024.
- ^ "Luki signs long-term extension". NQ Cowboys. 24 April 2024.
- ^ "Cowboys re-sign McIntyre". NQ Cowboys. 3 April 2024.
- ^ "Cowboys re-sign Mikaele". NQ Cowboys. 29 May 2024.
- ^ "2024 North Queensland Cowboys season". www.rugbyleagueproject.org.
