NORTH QUEENSLAND

All eyes will be on how North Queensland copes without Johnathan Thurston, who has retired after a stellar career.  The Cowboys only have to look back to the second half of 2017, when Thurston was injured.  That year, the Cowboys made it all the way to the Grand Final.

Lachlan Coote has also left the club, but the Cowboys have picked up Ben Barba from St Helens, and exciting winger Nene McDonald from St George-Illawarra.  Their backline still includes Kyle Feldt, Michael Morgan, and Justin O’Neill.

The Cowboys possess one of the most feared packs in the competition.  Led by Matthew Scott and Jason Taumalolo, the squad also included Coen Hess, Jordan McLean, Jake Granville, and the ever reliable Gavin Cooper.  They have also been boosted by the signing of test forward Josh McGuire from Brisbane.

Young Jake Clifford, who played for the PM XIII against Papua New Guinea earlier this year could also be a star, and has the opportunity to step into the big shoes vacated by the retirement of Johnathan Thurston.

You can read more about the history of the North Queensland Cowboys here.

Missing JT already?  Read about his exploits for Australia here, as well as other legends of the game.