2025 NRL Team Previews

North QLD Cowboys NRL 2025 Team Preview, Predictions & Player Movement

Ryan Tucker

Editor

Last updated: 07 Feb 2025

Ryan Tucker 07 Feb 2025

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Cowboys projected to finish 8th in 2025 NRL.
Loss of Val Holmes impacts scoring and goalkicking.
New additions: John Bateman, Karl Lawton, Kai O’Donnell.

Tom Dearden of the Cowboys. (Photo by Jason McCawley/Getty Images)

NRL 2025 Team Previews, Predictions & Player Movement: North QLD Cowboys

Where North Queensland Cowboys finish in 2025: 8th

Losing Val Holmes’ goalkicking could be the difference in close games in 2025, he was the leading pointscorer and 2nd best goalkicker in the league last season. With another tight race expected for the bottom half of the top 8 points differential will be more important than ever.

Adding Bateman to the forwards that have lost some depth is important but we are not sold on the Clifford & Dearden halves pairing and whether the forward pack as a unit are able to match it with the younger and more mobile packs of the other teams around them.

Projected Win total: 13

The Pythagorean model had the Cowboys on 15 wins this season but we deducted one just with Val Holmes leaving the club. Other player movement coupled with some tough scheduling around Origin is the reasoning behind another deduction.

They overachieved their total last season by 1 win so this number seems fair with all things considered.

Best contender for Dally M: Tom Dearden

Tom Dearden continues to improve and his time in the Origin camp last season probably meant he received fewer points in the Dally M than what he otherwise would have received. With Cam Munster expected to be healthy in 2025 it is possible Dearden misses out on a spot and plays NRL throughout the period.

His main competitor on the team is Scott Drinkwater who took 45 votes last season, finishing 5th in the rankings.

What’s to like

Karl Lawton and John Bateman are solid additions to this pack and the Cowboys have a number of game breakers in their squad. They were the 4th best scoring team in 2024 and even though Holmes leaves they have a backline that is more than capable of finishing set plays.

The Cowboys competed well on the road in 2024 finishing with an 8-4 record, the second best in the NRL. With some tough scheduling in 2025 it is a positive that the team has shown the ability to pick up important wins on the road and that comes down to coaching, rehabilitation and culture which this club has in spades.

What’s NOT to like

Say what you want about Val Holmes but the guy lead the league in points last season and was the second best goalkicker in the comp. Losing him will impact their scoring ability and without a replacement goalkicker in a similar echelon there will be a few points that go missing.

Add to that the depth in the forward pack has diminished, losing Finefeuiaki, Granville and Taunoa-Brown and there will be some problems in close games and if injuries rear their ugly head.

North QLD Cowboys Offseason Player Movement

Ins: Karl Lawton (Manly Sea Eagles), Kai O’Donnell (Leigh Leopards), Jaxson Paulo (Manly Sea Eagles), John Bateman (Wests Tigers)

Outs: Kulikefu Finefeuiaki (Dolphins), Chad Townsend (Sydney Roosters), Jake Granville (released), Kyle Feldt (St Helens), Valentine Holmes (St George Dragons), Jamayne Taunoa-Brown (retired), D’Jazirhae Pua’avase (Manly Sea Eagles)