Look, power rankings are relatively subjective and you’re on a hiding to nothing. I get that.
But are you telling me if the Cowboys score once more in the final five minutes and end up winning, they’d still drop from 7th to 11th? Presumably not. If that foot doesn’t go into touch and that try is scored, Cowboys win and suddenly they don’t drop 1-4 places?
Because the alternative hypothetical is that they score once more and beat the 4th-placed Warriors and suddenly still drop down the rankings.
Bottom line: I’m not sure one try from beating the 4th ranked team should drop you 4 places too often.

Serious question: why has there never been serious consideration to a country NSW team?

I realise there’s already too many Sydney teams, but does that extend to country NSW? Arguably the Cowboys show that the regional areas of a RL state have the natural supporter base and business relationships to make it an economically viable prospect. Base an NRL franchise in Orange or Bathurst or Wagga and people will drive hours to game day, just like North Queensland. Just look at the pre-season attendances.

I presume if it would theoretically work someone would have established a formal bid team by now. So it must be a non-starter. I just find it strange it’s never even mentioned in passing as an option.

I have a special algorithm for NRL tipping, and being a Cowboys supporter, it relates to them.

When a Cowboys game is widely tipped as the game of the round, they under-perform. Warriors by 18.

He’s definitely been playing the 7 role at the Cowboys all year. But I wouldn’t expect the casual observer to notice. (Whether professional commentators should notice is another story.)

He’s been doing a lot more kicking than in recent years and is playing both left and right. Just look at last round’s highlights, for example.

I dare say DCE is going to have to have a wonderful month to retain his spot. Dearden and Munster would work extremely well together at Origin level.

There are anti-tampering clauses. You can’t offer a contract until November the year before, as we know. Anything much more than that is anti-competitive, and the NRL must operate within the laws like any other Australian business. If a club like the Cowboys has its hooker ‘tampered’ with, it may want to reach out to the Tigers. If that player is still under contract, the contact should be club to club. Nothing wrong with that. Happens every day of the week. When it gets in the media it might get messy for fans. But that’s a separate issue in a lot of ways.

The Cowboys had a huge contingent in the crowd and are consistently in the top 5 highest TV ratings in the NRL over the last decade. Not too bad a choice.

So I’m allowed to verbally abuse him in the workplace then? Sweet. Watch out, JT.

Yep, probably the only team actually in form. I’d agree.

Well, when you put it that way.

I find it interesting that the Panthers were unbackable favourites last week, almost won (twice) in the dying minutes, but are now odds on to miss the 8 and in all kinds of trouble.

So let me ask a serious question: who is actually, truly in form right now?

Here’s one way to look at it.

Currently, you can’t play Origin and also play for England. Is that still something we’re okay with? I personally say yes, because there’s good reasons to feel that an England national player isn’t a Queenslander first.

I think it’s well time to recognise that in our current environment, Samoa and Tonga are Tier 1 nations, and the same Origin restrictions should apply. If people don’t agree with that, than I would respectfully suggest NZ and England players be eligible for Origin too.

And what happens to Origin if literally any Kiwi or Brit that also meets Origin eligibility can play? It dies.

There’s another aspect worth considering.
Before Origin there were still interstate matches between Qld and NSW. And it didn’t work very well. Qld lost basically every year for 70 years because it’s best players were attracted to the money available in Sydney and eligibility was based on residence. It’s easy to forget, but Origin was/is a special concept and a powerful concept.
Then the international game needed support and Origin players that were overlooked for Australian selection could play for a Tier 2 nation that wanted them. What we have now is a society in which ethnic identity outweighs Australian nationality and players self-select Tier 2 nations and opt out of playing for the country on their passport.
I don’t serious think anyone minds if they do that. Good for them.
But ORIGIN is a concept, not a certain set of eligibility criteria. Not that long ago you were a Queenslander first and an Australian second. Now you’re Samoan first and Queenslander if you get a nice match payment. It used to be said every Blue wanted to play SOO and every Maroon wanted to bleed for Queensland. Slight difference there.
If you erode the ORIGIN concept, it will die.

The Cowboys defence has been the focus of attention, so their attack has had relatively little scrutiny. But from 3rd best attack in 2024, the offense hasn’t fired either in ’25.

If the Cowboys take advantage of Clifford being back and Taumololo bending the line a little more, it might just click. And Walsh will be looking for an impact for the Broncos.

I think the Broncos are on a different level to the Cowboys in 2025, but I’m predicting a high-scoring game if the track is dry. Broncos to win 38-28.

I am a Cowboys fan. And I’m smiling. Bring on that wooden spoon contest with the Eels.

The board will finally act to refresh the coaching and recruitment departments.

There was no contact with the head. Shouldn’t have been a penalty, let alone a sin bin.

And don’t take my word for it. Just look at the charge sheet from the weekend. You won’t find Taulagi’s name on it. Video review cleared him of high contact.

That’s the real bottom line isn’t it. Lots to sort out.

Unfortunately, I can see a wooden spoon on the horizon.

I thought Hess was good on Saturday. But that’s about all. You’re right when you say Cotter isn’t playing well. And Robson looks to have checked out already (it’s a cliche, but the evidence is there to see).

It may be a case of a two-year rebuild of the roster. With Dearden in place the Cowboys can give Duffy time. Rookie wingers like Derby can be carried when you have Taulagi on the left. But middle forwards are needed badly. A new hooker for 2026 is needed badly. Origin-quality centres are needed badly.

And an NRL-quality wrestling coach is desperately needed. The Cowboys lose almost every damn ruck.

On one level the Cowboys problem is experience: compared to last season they’re missing the experience of Townsend, Feldt, Granville, Holmes, Finefeuiaki, Tanoua-Brown (plus Taumololo, Clifford and Luki all injured). That’s not easy to make up for when you recruit only a collection of journeymen in the off season to replace them. I’d say half the problem is recruitment. But it’s hard from the outside to understand what the issue is.

Having to pay overs to have players move north? Lack of key players available at the right time? Loss of players like Gilbert and Hammer that were counted on to stay?

On another level, the Cowboys haven’t been a serious contender since September 2022 – a fact somewhat hidden by short periods of better play and other teams tripping over themselves allowing the Cowboys a finals appearance last year.

Something isn’t right up north and even though I like Payten and I like his coaching style, I think a change of coaching staff might be required. I also think the board are close to that conclusion too.

But who’s available that’s a better option? The Cowboys have previously done well with a rookie with club history. Maybe it’s time to give Josh Hannay a chance at the top.

Todd Payten seems to me to be the Neil Henry of this generation. Henry came to NQ in 2009, and it took him three seasons to make the 8. But some recruiting decisions eventually paid dividends. He just wasn’t the guy to take that team to the GF. Then came Paul Green.

Payten’s first season at the Cowboys wasn’t great, but can be forgiven. He lost his halfback and captain to medical retirement after Round 2, and endured long absences of key players like Justin O’Neil, Taumololo and Holmes. The team took time to rebuild, but that season Payten gave debuts to Luki, Nanai, Neame and a club debut for Dearden. He’s also brought on Laybutt and Purdue more recently. Payten has made the finals in two of the last three seasons. The last three seasons have demonstrated some wonderful attack, good ball control and good transitions. But defence has been a major problem for two seasons.

What troubles me is Payten has rotated through a large number of assistant coaches in his four years (Steve Georgallis, Dean Young, James Maloney, Ben Rauter, Justin Morgan, Steve Sheppard, Brett O’Farrell). And Todd has rotated through a number of quality players now lost to the club (Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow, Tom Gilbert, Val Holmes, Chad Townsend (good luck Roosters), Kulikefu Finefeuiaki, Daejarn Asi, Frank Molo, Corey Jensen, Connelly Lemuelu, Luciano Leilua, Gehamat Shibasaki and Jack Gosiewski, the latter two playing last night for the Broncos). That’s a pretty strong side right there that has been let go in the last few years for a variety of reasons.

I can’t quite put my finger on it from well outside the club walls, but I’m increasingly sensing that the club needs a Paul Green to come in and take the next step up the ladder.

But what do I know. We’ll probably win the whole damn thing this year and make me look like a moron.

Exactly. There’s two players that would be there if not injured: Taumololo and Luki.

If that’s decimated, I wonder what the Rabbitohs and Roosters are.

I thought it was great. The build up to round one is working, and I’m keen to see the TV ratings numbers (in Australia and New Zealand, let alone US).

But it was definitely one game too many.

I was over it by half-time of the women’s match. If they want a women’s game next year, play it first, and build up to the final NRL match. Unfortunately the energy was lost by the time Penrith ran out. Or maybe I’m just getting old.

Mike. Please.

You’d bet on the Bulldogs (from last week) to beat either Sharks or Cowboys? I struggle to see it given the Bulldogs (from two weeks ago) were flogged by said Cowboys, in Sydney.

With the Cowboys playing freely, nothing to lose (if you get what I mean), and all the pressure on the Sharks, NQ could tally up quite the score. Just depends how much scoreboard pressure the Sharks feel in the second forty.

Nice demonstration and I agree with the thesis – there’s actually plenty of talent getting around. I’ve always maintained that an 18th club would draw players, but it would also establish an 18th funded pathway system to develop more players. Look at Rugby: no wonder it has to poach League players, it can’t develop it’s own. The NRL will replace any defectors within months. However, on the flip side, the other part of your argument is that juniors benefit from that level of experience in the second tier. If an 18th club is admitted (and a 19th and a 20th), the number of experienced second-tier players might bear the brunt more than the NRL rosters.

My five cents worth: A. Probably right about the middle. Hess is actually a big loss for the season. Imagine having JWH or Papalii coming off the bench after 20. That’s what Hess brings. B. Holmes can’t knock-on four times again, could he? Townsend couldn’t fail to find touch (twice) again, could he? C. If the Cowboys start strong and win the transition (Payten’s mantra all off season) they should win easily. More space for Nanai and Laybutt. Robson running. Less reliance on Townsend’s mediocre kicking game. D. If Drinkwater is forced into A defender (because Nanai’s on the ground again) he’d better learn to take the medicine and use his shoulder. E. Going out on a limb a little, but I think Finefeuiaki has more potential than Luki and will have such an amazing eight weeks that Heilum struggles to get his spot back.

Lots of depth and competition in the backrow and 3/4s for Cowboys. But not too experts many are predicting a finals appearance.
Maybe it’s the lack of middle forwards, Chad Townsend on borrowed time, and no real utility on the bench.
Hard to get a read on this squad and this season. Though I reckon by September you’ll see Clifford in the 7 and Chester on the bench.

Just call it Rugby.

Non-Rugby League types already call it that. And so what if there’s confusion with that awful 15-a-side game? Imagine an alternate universe where our sport was called Purple Monkey. Someone in marketing might suggest renaming it Rugby to take advantage of the large name recognition already in place across the world. If done right, the NRL and the IRL can finally take advantage of the Rugby name and demonstrate a far superior product and within a hundred years, those Union types will be trying to figure out how to change their name.