The North Queensland Cowboys have more players coming off-contract at the end of the 2024 NRL season than most others as we approach November 1, and have a lot of work to do on the roster front.
While Todd Payten's troops from Townsville endured through a disappointing 2023 season in attempting to back up their 2022 and may be looking to hold out to see if 2024 starts any better.
But the issue that, as it stands, 16 players are abou to become free agents to negotiate with rivals, and a number of them - most namely Tom Dearden - will be targetted by opposition outfits.
While the Cowboys are confident of retaining Dearden, it's unclear who they want to retain out of the rest, and there could be some retirements inbound as well, further complicating matters.
In this series Zero Tackle are running the rule over all 17 of the NRL's clubs and what they will be looking to do from November 1.
Current squad for 2025
Reuben Cotter, Scott Drinkwater, Tom Duffy, Jack Gosiewski, Valentine Holmes, Luciano Leilua, Heilum Luki, Jeremiah Nanai, Griffin Neame, Reece Robson, Murray Taulagi, Jason Taumalolo, Viliami Vailea
Current best 17 for 2025
1. Scott Drinkwater
2. Murray Taulagi
3. Valentine Holmes
4. Viliami Vailea
5. No player signed.
6. No player signed.
7. Tom Duffy
8. Griffin Neame
9. Reece Robson
10. Reuben Cotter
11. Jeremiah Nanai
12. Luciano Leilua
13. Jason Taumalolo
14. No player signed.
15. Jack Gosiewski
16. Heiulum Luki
17. No player signed.
Players off-contract at end of 2024
Emarly Bitungane, Tom Chester, Jake Clifford, Tom Dearden, Robert Derby, Kyle Feldt, Jake Granville, Coen Hess, Zac Laybutt, Sam McIntyre, Mia Pua'avase, Jamal Shibasaki, Wil Sullivan, Jamayne Taunoa-Brown, Chad Townsend, Semi Valemei
Here are five players available to negotiate on November 1 from outside of the club the Cowboys could target for 2025 and beyond.
5. Kayal Iro
Back to the outside backs to finish for the Cowboys, and this time it's one of the game's brightest young talentes in Cronulla Sharks back Kayal Iro.
Able to play at centre, wing and fullback, Iro is an exciting prospect, who, according to all reports, will be on the way out of the Shire at some point in the next 12 months, if not earlier, given his lack of playing time in first-grade.
Coach Craig Fitzgibbon will likely get a chance to rectify that this coming campaign if the Sharks don't release Iro, but there is no guarantee he won't have signed elsewhere by the time Round 1 rolls around, such is the ceiling of his talent and the number of clubs who would likely be interested.
The Cowboys simply must be one of those. Even if they re-sign a handful of players coming off-contract, their depth in the backs is going to be skinny, and the versatility of Iro being able to play three positions makes him a must-have for a number of clubs.
The biggest roadblock for the Townsville-based side might be just that - that they are based in Townsville. If it isn't though, they should be putting a big number on the contract offer to lock this signature up.
