North Queensland Cowboys assistant coach Justin Morgan has declared the club's emerging crop of young talent as the most exciting in the NRL.
After being one win short of a Grand Final berth in 2022, the Cowboys were unable to replicate their heroics in 2023 and finished 11th.
Morgan says the team is incredibly confident they can return to playing finals football and that the young players in the squad will be the ones to lead the charge.
“I looked through the team yesterday and I just thought, if I was buying a rugby league team, I’d buy (a lot of Cowboys players),” Morgan said on SENQ.
“We are fortunate that we have (a lot of talent) here and that was one of the most attractive things for me when I moved here.
“The talent that is available is the final piece of the puzzle for me. Working with the likes of Heilum Luki, Tom Dearden, Coen Hess, Reuben Cotter and Murray Taulagi. You can go through the whole list.
“A guy like Scott Drinkwater who has improved beyond in the last 18 months. He’s gone from a player who has flashes of brilliance to someone who is super consistent and his defence is first class.
“We are very fortunate that we’ve got a really good squad. In terms of talent, we have got some really good ones.”
It’s a changing of the guard in Townsville with captains Chad Townsend and Jason Taumalolo agreeing to step down and allow Tom Dearden and Reuben Cotter to lead the side.
At just 22 years of age, Dearden is the youngest captain in the Cowboys’ history and surpassed NRL legend Johnathan Thurston in the process.
“We are safe-guarding the future of the club,” Morgan said.
“We know that the two younger captains are going to take some time to find their feet with the added responsibility.
“They will certainly captain in their own way.
“The team will respond to that and Tom and Reuben will lead by example.
“They’ve also got some other good leaders that they can lean on like Chad and Jason.
“The club has also put some external support around them to give them some people to bounce ideas off.
“We are just trying to give them guidance in their new roles.”
The Cowboys have one final pre-season match against the Canberra Raiders on Sunday before attention turns to Round 1 against the Dolphins at Suncorp Stadium on March 10.