Todd Payten has taken charge at North Queensland planning to revamp the club s attacking structures and get some seasoned stars back to their best.
There was a buzz of excitement heading into last season for the Cowboys following the signing of Valentine Holmes. But the fullback s return from the NFL was slowed by injuries and the team suffered.
Making matters worse, captain and on-field general Michael Morgan only played six games due to shoulder and calf issues.
After Paul Green departed as coach midway through the year and Josh Hannay took the reins for a club that finished 14th, Payten now has the job of pushing North Queensland back up the ladder.
Coming off consecutive years of nursing injuries, Parramatta winger Blake Ferguson says he couldn t be in better shape ahead of this weeks NRL All Stars match.
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Coach Michael Crawley says the Mackay Cuttersâ allocation of North Queensland Cowboys players will âmake a big differenceâ to the clubâs 2021 Intrust Super Cup campaign.
And though the pair of internationals are unlikely to see the field as Cutters this season, there are a handful of other notable names who could play key roles in Crawley s side.
Emre Pere, Shane Wright, Mitch Dunn and Reuben Cotter have all played regular minutes for the Cutters in the recent past and, besides Pere, are also Mackay region locals.
Moranbah product Michael Bell is another with ties to the Cutters who could see Queensland Cup time.