The North Queensland Toyota Cowboys Presentation is set to be held at the Townsville Entertainment and Convention Centre on Wednesday night, with the club’s top performing players from 2023 to be recognised.
A field of emerging stars heads up the list of contenders for the NRL team’s top award, the Paul Bowman Medal.
Six-time winner Jason Taumalolo unfortunately endured an injury-interrupted season, appearing in 16 of a possible 24 games, which will hamper his chances to claim a record seventh Paul Bowman Medal.
Coen Hess is the only active player with a Paul Bowman Medal on his resume and the 27-year-old will be in the frame to add another after a stellar season. Hess appeared in all 24 games, starting the season on an edge due to a second-row injury crisis before reverting back to the middle where he solidified a position as a starting front-rower in Todd Payten’s team.
Fullback Scott Drinkwater, five-eighth Tom Dearden, hooker Reece Robson as well as middle forwards Reuben Cotter, Jordan McLean and Jake Granville will all be in the running to the Cowboys’ top gong.
Drinkwater enjoyed a sensational season, finishing inside the NRL’s top five for try and line-break assists. The 26-year-old registered career highs in almost every major attacking statistic, including tries (11), try assists (25), line breaks (14), running metres (3,304) and tackle breaks (96).
Dearden missed just one game in 2023, which came through State of Origin commitments. He crossed for seven tries, registered 10 try assists and averaged 98 running metres.
Robson, who earned a State of Origin debut in 2023, also appeared in 23 games, with his one miss coming through his NSW commitments. The 25-year-old finished inside the NRL’s top 10 for total tackles with 956 for the season. Robson played the entire 80 minutes in 20 of his 23 appearances.
Cotter produced another magnificent season at club level to go along with his Wally Lewis Medal in the State of Origin series. The 24-year-old appeared in 20 games, averaging 111 running metres and 32 tackles to go along with four tries.
A model of consistency again, McLean appeared in 22 games in 2023, a figure he has reached in each of the previous three seasons. McLean continues to be one of the NRL’s best defensive middles, making 574 tackles at an efficiency of 96.2 per cent this season. He also averaged 111 running metres.
A wildcard in the Paul Bowman Medal race, Granville emerged as an invaluable asset for Payten in 2023 as his forward pack battled injury. Granville played the majority of the season as a middle forward, a first for the ageless Cowboys veteran. He appeared in all 24 games, starting seven at lock and one at prop.