TOWNSVILLE, AUSTRALIA - JUNE 06: Francis Molo of the Cowboys looks on during the round four NRL match between the North Queensland Cowboys and the Cronulla Sharks at QCB Stadium on June 06, 2020 in Townsville, Australia. (Photo by Ian Hitchcock/Getty Images)
Ins
Michael Bell (2021), Kane Bradley (Wests Tigers, 2022), Lachlan Burr (New Zealand Warriors, 2022), Heilum Luki (2021), Jeremiah Nanai (2021), Griffin Neame (2021)
Outs
John Asiata (Brisbane Broncos), Gavin Cooper (retired), Tom Opacic (Parramatta Eels), Dan Russell (released), Tukimihia Simpkins (Wests Tigers), Garrett Smith (Newcastle Knights)
The Cowboys were hugely underwhelming in 2020, missing the finals by ten points, plus points differential. They were so bad that previously lauded coach Paul Green was sacked.
Valentine Holmes started the season on fire but soon fell victim to a loss of form and found himself on the wing. Injury then limited his involvement.
Michael Morgan also fell to injury and only ran out on six occasions. Obviously if you take a superstar the quality of Morgan out of any side, they will struggle. That said, the Cowboys had no answers without their halfback.
Five wins across 20 regular season games is awful, especially for a side with this much potential. Many, myself included, had them in the race for the top eight.
They were one of the sides who struggled with the new rules, often being carved up their usually reliable middle.
Despite their awful form, Kyle Feldt had the top try scorers award in his hands before a ridiculous five-try performance by Alex Johnston.
The sooner that 2021 kicks off and the sooner the Cowboys and their fans can forget 2020 the better.
With all due respect to the players signed to represent in Townsville this year, I think the Cowboys completed possibly the most unexciting recruitment drive of 2021.
Lachlan Burr is the only name who stands out as a genuine chance to make his name onto the team list come round one. The rest seem squad and depth signings.
Gavin Cooper is a big out and I'm not sure why the Cowboys didn't find a spot for John Asiata. Otherwise they're unscathed.
See Zero Tackle's own Dan Nichols over at Rugby League Outlaws
Is Val #1?: I don't think it's unfair to suggest that Valentine Holmes underdelivered in 2020. That may be harsh considering he spent a year out of the game chasing an NFL contract.
Reports of a contract worth around a million dollars dictate Val needs to be in the top few players in the competition. In 2020, he was not. He showed some great signs but ultimately found himself relegated to the wing before injury struck. He returned to his beastly best for QLD and the Cowboys will hope he brings that form back to club level this year.
If Holmes re-finds his 2019 Sharks form then the Cowboys are in a FAR better position to succeed.
Big Pack/New Rules: The Cowboys have the game's best big man in the game in the form of Jason Taumalolo. Simply put, they didn't get the most out of their prized asset last year with the change in rules.
He was asked to do too much and play minutes beyond what was needed. There are talks that his minutes will be cut which should see his impact return to peak. That said, he was still the best lock in the game in 2020, so the fact his impact will rise this year is pretty scary.
The Cowboys have a big pack who struggled last year under the new rules. With even stricter rules this year, it will be interesting to see if the forwards have used the off-season to adapt.
New Coach: I was shocked when the Cowboys sacked Paul Green midway through the 2020 season. I thought his Premiership win meant a gig in Townsville for as long as he wanted it. Especially given that the Cowboys have hardly been a terrible side since the 2015 triumph.
Talk has since come out that everything was far from peachy for a lot longer than we'd expect and a long search ended in Todd Payten's appointment. I love this hire. Payten knows the club well from previous stints within the coaching ranks, including his being assistant to Green in 2015.
He comes with big wraps following his short stint as Warriors interim coach and has the perfect temperament for a rebuild. Love it.
10th
I don't hate this Cowboys side at all. In Taumalolo, Holmes and Morgan they have three genuine superstars of the competition. Throw in a young and talented coach and I can only see improvement on 2020.
That said, there are way too many questions and possible weaknesses to challenge for the top eight. They recruited unspectacularly to say the least and now sit in a position where if plan A doesn't work, then there could be trouble.
Payten needs to work out how best to use Scott Drinkwater. He's a brilliant, young player but I don't think his best position is obvious just yet. For mine it's fullback but you can't pay Holmes a million dollars to sit on the wing.
Coen Hess needs to re-find his best form to cover the loss of Gavin Cooper. Reece Robson had an exciting 2020 and now looks the best option at nine moving forward. Granville still has what it takes to tear games apart from the bench.
Both wingers possess a mountain of try scoring potential but will need their centres to have far better years than last year to fully cash in.
I'm excited to see what the Cowboys produce this year but this side seems far too reliant on three players to make a genuine finals charge.