Cowboys NRL 2023 draw snapshot

Here is all you need to know about the North Queensland Cowboys 2023 Telstra Premiership draw.

The Lowdown

Teams they play twice

Broncos, Titans, Dolphins, Panthers, Eels, Sharks, Tigers, Warriors.

Teams they play once

Raiders, Bulldogs, Knights, Roosters, Rabbitohs, Sea Eagles, Storm, Dragons.

Day-by-day breakdown

• Thursday: 2 games
• Friday: 5 games
• Saturday: 12 games
• Sunday: 5 games

Turnaround time

• 5 Days: 2 games
• 6 Days: 5 games
• 7+ Days: 16 games

Byes

Round 15, 19 and 24.

Opening month

It’s a case of home, sweet home for the Cowboys with three of their first four matches set down for Queensland Country Bank Stadium. In Round 2 they travel to Brisbane for a Suncorp Stadium blockbuster against arch-rivals Brisbane. They don’t cross the border into New South Wales until Round 5 when they play the Bulldogs at Accor Stadium.

Origin watch

If the Cowboys’ posse of Origin reps start 2023 the way they finished 2022 then the depth of Todd Payten’s squad will be tested in June and July. The Cowboys will have a number of stars absent when they face the Eels in Round 13 before Origin I and then have the Storm just four days after the series opener. They face the Panthers ahead of Origin II so both sides will be heavily affected and they get a bye on the weekend before the third game.

The run home

A bye in Round 24 will provide an opportunity to give some key men a breather before the Cowboys host the Sharks in Round 25 and travel to Brisbane to play the Dolphins in Round 26. A clash with defending premiers Penrith on their home patch at BlueBet Stadium rounds out the regular season.

And another thing...

Ten of the Cowboys’ 24 games are against fellow finalists from 2022 while 14 are against the sides who finished outside the eight. They have two games against wooden-spooners Wests Tigers, two against the Warriors, who finished 15th, and two against the Titans, who battled into 13th spot in 2022.

• See the full 2023 NRL Draw here