Cowboys.com.au will provide an in-depth positional analysis of the 2020 North Queensland Toyota Cowboys squad. We continue the series with the halves headlined by skipper Michael Morgan.
The players are ranked by their NRL experience with their career numbers of games in brackets next to their name.
>>>> Part 2: Outside backs <<<<
Michael Morgan (160)
The Cowboys skipper split his time between halfback and five-eighth in 2019, but whether wearing the 6 or 7 Morgan is undoubtedly the main man in the halves for Paul Green. Morgan finished sixth in the NRL with 16 try assists last season and finished behind only Daly Cherry-Evans for the competition lead with three 40-20s.
Jake Clifford (21)
The Tully Tigers junior recently inked a one-year contract extension with the Cowboys and will be gunning to partner Morgan in the halves in Round 1. The 21-year-old registered 15 NRL appearances in his second NRL season, including a mesmerising man of the match performance against eventual premiers the Roosters in Round 17.
Scott Drinkwater (11)
While all 11 of his NRL appearances have come at fullback, the 22-year-old played halfback for the Australian Schoolboys and could find himself lining up in the halves in 2020 after the arrival of Valentine Holmes.
* John Asiata (117)
Asiata’s main role at the Cowboys is as a middle forward, but the 26-year-old proved a more than capable fill-in in the halves in 2019. Asiata played 11 games at five-eighth and one at halfback last season and produced a number of stellar performances.
