The North Queensland Cowboys’ 2025 NRL season was a disappointing one, finishing 12th on the ladder with just nine wins and missing finals for the third time under Todd Payten—despite celebrating the club’s 30th anniversary. Persistent defensive issues (second-worst in the competition) and inconsistency plagued the campaign, with key departures like Valentine Holmes, Kyle Feldt, and Reece Robson impacting the squad. Co-captain Tom Dearden stood out brightly, claiming back-to-back Paul Bowman Medals as Player of the Year plus his third Players’ Player award in four seasons with nine tries and strong leadership, while Scott Drinkwater provided attacking spark—but overall results fell short, prompting a post-season review and hopes for a rebound in 2026.
Embed from Getty Images📊 Season Overview
- Regular Season Record (24 games): 9 wins, 14 losses, 1 draws
- Overall Record (incl. finals) (24 games): 9 wins, 14 losses, 1 draws
- For and Against (regular season): 538 – 684 (-146)
- Home Record (regular season): 5 wins, 6 losses, 1 draw
- Away Record (regular season): 4 wins, 8 losses
- Average points scored per game (regular season): 22.42
- Average points conceded per game (regular season): 28.5
- Best winning streak: 4 games (Rounds 4–8, excluding bye)
- Worst losing streak: 3 games (Rounds 1–3, 14-16, 18-20)
- Games Decided by ≤6 points (regular season): 10 total (Won: 4, Lost: 5, Drew: 1)
🏟️ 2025 Regular Season Results
| Round | Opponent | Date | Venue | Result | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sea Eagles | Saturday 08/03/2025 | 4 Pines Park | L | 12–42 |
| 2 | Sharks | Saturday 15/03/2025 | Queensland Country Bank Stadium | L | 12–36 |
| 3 | Broncos | Friday 21/03/2025 | Suncorp Stadium | L | 16–26 |
| 4 | Raiders | Saturday 29/03/2025 | Queensland Country Bank Stadium | W | 30–20 |
| 5 | Panthers | Friday 04/04/2025 | CommBank Stadium | W | 22–18 |
| 6 | Rabbitohs | Saturday 12/04/2025 | Optus Stadium | W | 24–16 |
| 7 | (Bye) | – | – | – | – |
| 8 | Titans | Saturday 26/04/2025 | Queensland Country Bank Stadium | W | 50–18 |
| 9 | Warriors | Saturday 03/05/2025 | Suncorp Stadium | L | 26–30 |
| 10 | Panthers | Saturday 10/05/2025 | Queensland Country Bank Stadium | D | 30–30 |
| 11 | Sea Eagles | Saturday 17/05/2025 | Queensland Country Bank Stadium | L | 6–24 |
| 12 | (Bye) | – | – | – | – |
| 13 | Wests Tigers | Saturday 31/05/2025 | Queensland Country Bank Stadium | W | 32–28 |
| 14 | Storm | Friday 06/06/2025 | AAMI Park | L | 14–38 |
| 15 | Dolphins | Saturday 14/06/2025 | Queensland Country Bank Stadium | L | 4–58 |
| 16 | Roosters | Sunday 22/06/2025 | Allianz Stadium | L | 8–42 |
| 17 | Titans | Sunday 29/06/2025 | Cbus Super Stadium | W | 30–24 |
| 18 | Storm | Saturday 05/07/2025 | Queensland Country Bank Stadium | L | 20–26 |
| 19 | Bulldogs | Saturday 12/07/2025 | Queensland Country Bank Stadium | L | 8–12 |
| 20 | Dolphins | Thursday 17/07/2025 | Suncorp Stadium | L | 24–43 |
| 21 | Dragons | Friday 25/07/2025 | Queensland Country Bank Stadium | W | 38–32 |
| 22 | Sharks | Sunday 03/08/2025 | Sharks Stadium | L | 12–32 |
| 23 | Eels | Sunday 10/08/2025 | CommBank Stadium | L | 18–19 |
| 24 | Knights | Sunday 17/08/2025 | Queensland Country Bank Stadium | W | 38–4 |
| 25 | Wests Tigers | Sunday 24/08/2025 | Leichhardt Oval | W | 34–28 |
| 26 | Broncos | Saturday 30/08/2025 | Queensland Country Bank Stadium | L | 30–38 |
| 27 | (Bye) | – | – | – | – |
👤 Player Appearances & Contributions
| Player | Appearances | Wins | Win% | Pts | Tries | Goals | 1pt | FG | 2pt FG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Braidon Burns | 13 | 3 | 23.1% | 28 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Coen Hess | 21 | 7 | 33.3% | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Griffin Neame | 20 | 7 | 35.0% | 8 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Harrison Edwards | 21 | 8 | 38.1% | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jake Clifford | 14 | 7 | 50.0% | 28 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jamal Shibasaki | 1 | 0 | 0.0% | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jason Taumalolo | 10 | 6 | 60.0% | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jaxon Purdue | 24 | 9 | 37.5% | 56 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jaxson Paulo | 3 | 1 | 33.3% | 8 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jeremiah Nanai | 21 | 9 | 42.9% | 36 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| John Bateman | 19 | 7 | 36.8% | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jordan McLean | 19 | 7 | 36.8% | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kai O’Donnell | 18 | 6 | 33.3% | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kaiden Lahrs | 7 | 2 | 28.6% | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Karl Lawton | 11 | 3 | 27.3% | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Marly Bitungane | 2 | 0 | 0.0% | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Murray Taulagi | 15 | 5 | 33.3% | 50 | 12 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Nicholas Lenaz | 1 | 0 | 0.0% | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Reece Robson | 21 | 9 | 42.9% | 8 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Reuben Cotter | 18 | 8 | 44.4% | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Robert Derby | 17 | 7 | 41.2% | 36 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sam McIntyre | 16 | 6 | 37.5% | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Scott Drinkwater | 24 | 9 | 37.5% | 184 | 11 | 70 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Semi Valemei | 4 | 2 | 50.0% | 16 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Temple Kalepo | 1 | 0 | 0.0% | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Thomas Duffy | 6 | 1 | 16.7% | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Thomas Mikaele | 10 | 3 | 30.0% | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Tom Dearden | 22 | 9 | 40.9% | 36 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Viliami Vailea | 14 | 7 | 50.0% | 8 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Zac Laybutt | 14 | 4 | 28.6% | 22 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
🔹 Top Performers Snapshot
- Most Tries: Jaxon Purdue, 14 tries
- Most Points: Scott Drinkwater, 184 points
- Most Goals: Scott Drinkwater, 70 goals
- Most Appearances: Jaxon Purdue & Scott Drinkwater – 24 games
- Highest Win % (min 5 games): Jason Taumalolo, 60.0%
🏅 2025 Club Awards
- Paul Bowman Medal: Tom Dearden
- Club Person of the Year: Braidon Burns
- NRL Cowboys Way: Heilum Luki & Tom Chester
- NRL Townsville Bulletin Fan Award: Tom Dearden
- Education Award: Tom Duffy
- Affiliate Player of the Year: Emarly Bitungane
- NRL Rookie of the Year: Rob Derby
- NRL Players’ Player: Tom Dearden
