We've reached the halfway point of the 2025 NRL season, and the competition is still tighter than ever. Just six points separate 5th place from last, meaning the Top 8 could look very different come finals time.
With all 17 clubs still in the hunt for a playoff berth, one thing is clear: no side in this competition is invincible.
What is the chink in your club's armor? We analyse every club's kryptonite as we inch closer to finals footy.
7North Queensland Cowboys: Questionable coaching decisions
The North Queensland Cowboys have a plethora of talent across the board that screams for a grand final appearance.
Home to multiple Origin stars, a stack of young talent, all led by a top 5 half in the game in Tom Dearden, the side picks itself every week.
Unfortunately for Cowboys fans, these roster decisions aren't as simple for Todd Payten, whose inability to stick with what works is proving costly to the club's premiership hopes.
Shifting the best five-eighth in the game in Dearden, to halfback would have been fine if they didn't have Jake Clifford, a proven No. 7 who has been exceptional for the Cowboys in his minutes played.
This shift then invited Jaxon Purdue in the halves, a hard pill to swallow since he was making a name for himself as one of the most in-form centres in the NRL this year.
Many of these unnecessary changes are what have led to calls for Payten's departure from fans and critics, and if they continue to harm the prospects of the Cowboys winning a ring this year, we may see these critiques become reality.
