North Queensland Cowboys winger Kyle Feldt has admitted that the club’s pre-season was one of the most gruelling he has experienced in his 192-game career for the team.
After dropping from third in 2022 to missing the eight altogether in 2023, the Cowboys are eager to put behind their bitterly disappointing campaign.
Feldt said the pre-season training regime set out by the Cowboys coaches is exactly what the team needs to return to premiership contention.
“This pre-season has been around 14 weeks which is certainly the longest in my time being here,” Feldt told SENQ 693.
“It has been good and they have really mixed things up.
“They’ve kept us on our toes and thrown a few curveballs at us.
“We are in a really good mindframe and physical position for the start of the year.
“We’ve tried to re-ignite (defensive efforts) in our whole playing squad and this pre-season has been a driving factor.
“It’s been difficult to get back to our best but defence has been one of the main focuses during this pre-season.”
The Cowboys have made plenty of changed during the off season including the appointment of Reuben Cotter and Tom Dearden as co-captains.
North Queensland have also welcomed in rugby league journeyman James Maloney as an assistant coach who Feldt says has made a big impact to the squad.
“He has brought a breath of fresh air up here which is great,” Feldt added.
“He’s a winner and everything he touches turns to gold.
“It’s not just what he does with the footy but he sees some stuff that a lot of other people wouldn’t see.
“I’m looking forward to see what he does with our halves and how he turns our attack around.”
The Cowboys face the Dolphins in Round 1 at Suncorp Stadium on March 10.