The North Queensland Cowboys will say farewell to 11 players at the end of the 2026 season in what shapes up to be an exciting rebuild period for the club.
Five of the NRL squad will head for other opportunities at different clubs, including Jaxson Paulo, Mason Barber, John Bateman, Sam McIntyre and Scott Drinkwater, as reported by foxsports.com.au.
The club also lost Harrison Edwards in May to the Parramatta Eels, making the mid-season switch after one game for North Queensland in 2026.
Meanwhile, Maroons representative Murray Taulagi and Villiami Vailea will depart the 13-man code for rugby union opportunities.
Englishman John Bateman will head back to where it all began in Bradford, securing a deal with the Bulls, where he made his professional debut at 17-years-old.
Wiremu Greig and Zac Herdegen will also depart the club but have yet to officially ink a contract for 2027.
It is understood the club listed the 11 departing players before their Round 27 home game.
Zero Tackle has since reached out to the Cowboys for official confirmation on the total list of players leaving Townsville.
Scott Drinkwater will make the highly publicised move to Wollongong to continue his career with the St George Illawarra Dragons under Dean Young.
Paulo has floated around a few NRL clubs, including the Rabbitohs, Roosters and Manly, but has failed to cement his spot in the starting outside backs, prompting him to explore other opportunities.
He has reportedly picked up a deal with an English Super League club for 2027.
Barber will link with Mal Meninga for the Perth Bears in their maiden NRL season, where he has a strong chance of locking down the fullback jersey for 2027.
Matthew Lodge made an immediate transfer to the Leeds Rhinos in August to see out the remainder of their 2026 campaign, but has yet to agree on an extension beyond this season.
The club came off a heavy defeat at the hands of the Canberra Raiders to finish the regular season on Saturday, being on the wrong end of a 50-30 scoreline.
The Cowboys will now travel to Sydney to face the Cronulla Sharks at Allianz Stadium in Week 1 of the finals series.
