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North Queensland Cowboys odds
About the Cowboys
Top Bookies
2025 Odds
News & Tips
Best Bets
2025 Draw
Players to Watch
Records & Stats
Top Bookies
2025 Odds
News & Tips
Best Bets
2025 Draw
Players to Watch
Records & Stats
The North Queensland Cowboys were quite successful in 2024, improving from 11th to 5th on the ladder and securing a finals win. As they look to take their game to a new level in 2025, the side remain under the leadership of Todd Payten, while Queensland pair Tom Dearden and Reuben Cotter continue their co-captaincy.
There have been plenty of changes to the list in the new season, with Kyle Feldt, Valentine Holmes, Chad Townsend and Kulikefu Finefeuiaki all leaving the club, while promising second rower Heilum Luki has been ruled out for the year with an ACL injury.
The side have added forward depth through John Bateman, Karl Lawton and Kai O’Donnell, while winger Jaxson Paulo comes across from Manly. Prop Coen Hess is also set to return to the side after missing the entire 2024 season with injury.
See what Australia’s best NRL bookmakers are saying about the Cowboys betting for the 2025 NRL season..
About the North Queensland Cowboys
| Established: | 1992 |
|---|---|
| Home ground: | Queensland Country Bank Stadium |
| Coach: | Todd Payten |
| Captains: | Tom Dearden & Reuben Cotter |
| Premierships: | One – 2015 |
| 2024 ladder finish: | 5th (15-9) – Finals Week 2 |
Best bookies for North Queensland Cowboys betting
Updated Cowboys futures odds
| 2025 Premiership | Top 8 Betting | NRL Top Pointscorer | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Odds @ BetOnline | $51 | $3 | Scott Drinkwater $21 |
North Queensland Cowboys news & tips
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Best North Queensland Cowboys bets for NRL 2025
There are dozens of NRL futures markets for North Queensland, but where are they likely to return some real value?
Click on the tabs below to get more analysis on these markets:
- Despite their success last season, the Cowboys are tipped to finish in the middle of the pack in 2025, with top online bookmakers giving them odds of $21 to win the premiership. North Queensland’s failure to cover the losses in their backline suggests they are looking to improve from within, which probably means that they have more long-term vision. A hard-working forward pack will win them games, but they lack the top-level quality to match the main contenders.
- With odds of $2.10 to make the top eight with the leading betting apps, the Cowboys are a strong chance of making the top eight this season. Tom Dearden and Jake Clifford form a formidable halves pairing, while fullback Scott Drinkwater is a difference maker. The Cowboys showed that they could win both home and away last season, but with the worst defensive record in the top eight, it is something that will need to be addressed going forward.
- With the loss of their two highest try scorers in 2024, the race to lead the Cowboys try scoring is wide open. As a result, look for a value selection such as Jeremiah Nanai. The second-rower has been a try-scoring machine during his short NRL career so far, with tallies of 17 and 13 in his two full seasons. As the side may struggle to reach the attacking heights of last year, Nanai’s speed, size and agility will be a difference maker around the try line.
2025 North Queensland Cowboys draw
| Round | Opponent | Venue | Date | Time (QLD) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Manly Sea Eagles | 4 Pines Park, Sydney | Saturday, March 8 | 6:35pm |
| 2 | Cronulla Sharks | Queensland Country Bank Stadium, Townsville | Saturday, March 15 | 4:30pm |
| 3 | Brisbane Broncos | Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane | Friday, March 21 | 7:05pm |
| 4 | Canberra Raiders | Queensland Country Bank Stadium, Townsville | Saturday, March 29 | 4:30pm |
| 5 | Penrith Panthers | CommBank Stadium, Sydney | Friday, April 4 | 5:00pm |
| 6 | South Sydney Rabbitohs | Optus Stadium, Perth | Saturday, April 12 | 5:30pm |
| 7 | Bye | – | – | – |
| 8 | Gold Coast Titans | Queensland Country Bank Stadium, Townsville | Saturday, April 26 | 5:30pm |
| 9 | New Zealand Warriors | Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane | Saturday, May 3 | 5:30pm |
| 10 | Penrith Panthers | Queensland Country Bank Stadium, Townsville | Saturday, May 10 | 7:35pm |
| 11 | Manly Sea Eagles | Queensland Country Bank Stadium, Townsville | Saturday, May 17 | 5:30pm |
| 12 | Bye | – | – | – |
| 13 | Wests Tigers | Queensland Country Bank Stadium, Townsville | Saturday, May 31 | 5:30pm |
| 14 | Melbourne Storm | AAMI Park, Melbourne | Friday, June 6 | 6:00pm |
| 15 | Dolphins | Queensland Country Bank Stadium, Townsville | Saturday, June 14 | 7:35pm |
| 16 | Sydney Roosters | Allianz Stadium, Sydney | Sunday, June 22 | 4:05pm |
| 17 | Gold Coast Titans | Cbus Super Stadium, Gold Coast | Sunday, June 29 | 4:05pm |
| 18 | Melbourne Storm | Queensland Country Bank Stadium, Townsville | Saturday, July 5 | 7:35pm |
| 19 | Canterbury Bulldogs | Queensland Country Bank Stadium, Townsville | Saturday, July 12 | 7:35pm |
| 20 | Dolphins | Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane | Thursday, July 17 | 7:50pm |
| 21 | St. George Illawarra Dragons | Queensland Country Bank Stadium, Townsville | Friday, July 25 | 6:00pm |
| 22 | Cronulla Sharks | Sharks Stadium, Sydney | Sunday, August 3 | 4:05pm |
| 23 | Parramatta Eels | CommBank Stadium, Sydney | Sunday, August 10 | 4:05pm |
| 24 | Newcastle Knights | Queensland Country Bank Stadium, Townsville | Sunday, August 17 | 4:05pm |
| 25 | Wests Tigers | Leichhardt Oval, Sydney | Sunday, August 24 | 4:05pm |
| 26 | Brisbane Broncos | Queensland Country Bank Stadium, Townsville | Saturday, August 30 | 7:35pm |
| 27 | Bye | – | – | – |
Cowboys players to watch in NRL 2025
Tom Dearden
Born: 13/3/2001
Games: 104
Tries: 33
Position: Five-Eighth
At just 23 years old, five-eighth Tom Dearden has already established himself as one of the premier five-eighths in the NRL. He is fresh off winning the 2024 Dally M five-eighth of the year and as a result, a lot of the Cowboys’ success this season is dependent on his form. He is an excellent playmaker and runs well with the ball, but Dearden can also hold his own in the defensive line. Known for his hard work, if he can continue his strong form from last year, expect the Cowboys to do well.
John Bateman
Born: 30/9/1993
Games: 285
Tries: 59
Position: Second Rower
After a troubled year with the Tigers that saw him move back to England, veteran second-rower John Bateman has the chance to revive his career in Townsville. With Heilum Luki ruled out for the season, Bateman looks set to start round one. He brings aggression and power in attack while he is strong defensively, an area that the Cowboys need to improve. His experience will provide leadership to their younger forward pack and if he can return to his best form, there isn’t a reason why the Cowboys can’t have one of the strongest forward groups in the NRL.
Scott Drinkwater
Born: 15/5/1997
Games: 120
Tries: 43
Position: Fullback
In 2024, Scott Drinkwater was the catalyst in attack for the Cowboys, as he had 10 tries and an astounding 26 try assists. His mix of speed and agility makes him incredibly tough to tackle, while he is also extremely reliable under the high ball. With the changes in the backline, Drinkwater needs to provide stability while continuing to be the creative outlet if the Cowboys are going to push towards the top of the ladder.
North Queensland Cowboys records and stats
- Most games: 294 – Johnathan Thurston (2005-2018)
Most career points: 2,182 – Johnathan Thurston (2005-2018)
Most points in a season: 266 – Valentine Holmes (2024)
Most career tries: 146 – Kyle Feldt (2013-2024)
Most tries in a season: 22 – Matthew Bowen (2007)
Most points in a match: 24 – Johnathan Thurston (vs. Broncos 2006)
- Most consecutive wins: 11 (2015)
Most consecutive losses: 13 (2008)
Biggest winning margin: 74-0 (vs. Tigers, 2023)
Biggest losing margin: 0-62 (vs. Eels, 2001)
Largest home attendance: 30,302 (vs. Broncos, 2009)
- The story of the North Queensland Cowboys begins in the 1980s with the growing influence of regional teams in the statewide competition. Plans for a team based in Townsville were hatched soon after the Brisbane Broncos were granted admission into the NSWRL in 1988. Years of campaigning bore fruit in 1992 when it was announced that the Cowboys would join the newly created Australian Rugby League in 1995.
Those were tumultuous years for even the most established Sydney clubs, let alone a rag-tag pack of underdogs from the tropical north. The Cowboys went through no fewer than eight captains in their first two seasons as they struggled for stability both on and off the field. Whereas some clubs (read Melbourne Storm) took to the NRL like ducks to water, it was not until 2004 that North Queensland managed to qualify for finals.
That upward trend continued with the landmark signing of Johnathan Thurston in 2005. JT won his first Dally M that season as the Cowboys reached their first NRL Grand Final, where they lost to Wests Tigers. A run to the prelims followed in 2007 before a series of injury woes and off-field dramas saw them slide back to the bottom end of the table in 2008.
The debut of 17-year-old Jason Taumalolo in 2010 heralded the dawn of a new era for the Cowboys. They improved steadily over the coming years, becoming a fixture in the top eight and breaking through with a maiden premiership in 2015. That triumph, a golden point victory over the Brisbane Broncos, is regarded as one of the greatest grand finals of all time.
In recent seasons, the Cowboys have been up and down. After an 11th-place finish in 2023, they bounced back in 2024, securing a spot in the finals with a 15-9 record to finish 5th on the ladder. However, their campaign ended in the second round of the finals, marking a significant improvement but still short of their championship aspirations.
Heading into 2025, the Cowboys have made key changes to their squad. The club has bolstered its forward pack with the signing of England international John Bateman, who is expected to play a mentoring role for the younger forwards. They have also added Kai O’Donnell and Karl Lawton while promoting emerging talents Jaxon Purdue, Kaiden Lahrs, and Jamal Shibasaki to the top squad.
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