The race for the 2022 Paul Bowman Medal is shaping as one of the most exciting in the recent memory of the North Queensland Toyota Cowboys.
The Cowboys’ surge up the NRL ladder has coincided with a number of brilliant individual seasons.
Attacking weapons Scott Drinkwater, Valentine Holmes, Tom Dearden and skipper Chad Townsend have all compiled arguably the best seasons of their respective careers.
Veteran forwards Jason Taumalolo and Jordan McLean, along with youngsters Jeremiah Nanai, Reuben Cotter, Tom Gilbert and Reece Robson have transformed the Cowboys pack into one of the most dominant in the competition.
Despite missing the Round 1 team, Drinkwater has enjoyed a truly extraordinary season. Moving from five-eighth to fullback, Drinkwater has amassed 14 try assists and 10 tries.
In his debut season as a centre, Holmes has quickly emerged as one of the best in the position. The 27-year-old leads the NRL in point scoring in the regular season, with 206 in 21 games, including seven tries.
Tom Dearden’s breakout season was so impressive he earned a fairytale State of Origin debut in Queensland’s Game 3 series-clinching win. At club level he has compiled eight tries, 13 try assists and an outstanding 89.1% tackle efficiency in defence.
Townsend sits second in the NRL with 19 try assists and is also one of the competition’s leading kickers with 8,726 total metres.
Statistics don’t necessarily reflect the dominance of McLean’s 2022 campaign. The 31-year-old has averaged 114 running metres in 19 games and enhanced his reputation as one of the NRL's top defending middle forwards with a 97.1% tackle efficiency.
After an injury-interrupted 2021 campaign, Taumalolo returned emphatically in 2022. The five-time Paul Bowman Medal winner sits sixth in the competition for post-contact metres and has run for the third most metres of any forward.
Nanai produced a historic season in 2022. The 19-year-old broke the Cowboys’ single season try scoring record for a forward in just 19 games. He currently has 17 tries, a remarkable six more than any other forward in the NRL.
Gilbert rebounded from his own injury struggles to solidify his standing as one of the top young forwards in the NRL. Gilbert started the majority of his games in the second row before shifting to the middle after the introduction of Heilum Luki or Luciano Leilua into games. His defence work was a highlight, registering 644 tackles at a 93.5% tackle efficiency.
Cotter’s tenacious style of play and flowing mullet saw him quickly emerge as an NRL-wide fan favourite. The 23-year-old was one of the first picked in Billy Slater’s Queensland team through his work at club level. Cotter has averaged 119 running metres and made 566 tackles at an almost unfathomable 97.4% tackle efficiency.
Robson sits inside the top five in the NRL with 956 tackles at a tremendous 95% tackle percentage. He also dramatically improved his passing, registering six try assists and expanding his already dangerous running game, averaging 73 running metres.
Follow along with live updates this Sunday night as we crown the 2022 Paul Bowman Medal winner at the Townsville Entertainment And Convention Centre.
