Ahead of Sunday's first Pre-Season Challenge game against the Broncos in Mackay, we take a closer look at some of the young North Queensland Toyota Cowboys named in Todd Payten's 22-man squad.
Jodeci Baker
Blessed with blistering speed, Baker has been forced to overcome a string of hamstring injuries early in his career. Baker scored 16 tries in as many games in the Queensland Cup in 2023 and has the ability to play any position in the back five.
Townsville born and bred, Duffy was a member of the Australian Schoolboys in 2021. A talented half with strong kicking and game management skills, Duffy produced a stellar maiden season in the Queensland Cup in 2023 as a 19-year-old.
Sean Mullany
A physical dummy-half or lock, Mullany is captain of the Cowboys feeder club the Mackay Cutters. A former member of the Cowboys NYC system, Mullany has also spent time back in his home country of New Zealand with the Warriors.
Emarly Bitungane
Born in Tanzania, Bitungane moved to Australia in 2007. An athletic middle forward, Bitungane impressed in the corresponding game last season against The Dolphins. On a Development contract in 2024, Bitungane will be gunning for an NRL debut later in the season.
Kyle Schneider
Another former Australian schoolboy, Schneider is representing the Cowboys in the season-opening trial for the second consecutive season. A crafty dummy half, Schneider has moved from the Cutters to the Northern Pride for 2024.
Wil Sullivan
A graduate of the Cowboys Young Guns program, Sullivan will train with the NRL squad full-time in 2024. An athletically built forward from Laidley in south-east Queensland, Sullivan registered six Queensland Cup games last season.
John Radel
Radel has spent the pre-season on a training block with the Cowboys. A rangy middle-forward, Radel is signed with the Mackay Cutters for 2024.
Jamal Shibasaki
The reigning Mal Meninga Cup Player of the Year, Shibasaki is in his first season in the NRL squad. The brother of former Cowboy Gehamat, Shibasaki is equally at home at either middle forward or second row.
A towering middle forward of Samoan and Māori heritage, Pua’avase is in his first season in the Cowboys Top 30. Still just 20, Pua’avase already has two seasons of Queensland Cup experience after making his senior debut as an 18-year-old in 2022.
Jaxon Purdue
A proud product of St Patrick’s Mackay, Purdue is set to play his first game in a Cowboys jersey in front of family and friends in his home town. The 18-year-old graduated from St Patrick’s Mackay in 2023 after starring in his school’s Aaron Payne Cup grand final-winning run. A half for the majority of his junior career, Purdue has also spent time at fullback during his first pre-season at the Cowboys.
Ewan Moore
A stalwart of the Northern Pride, Moore was called in at the last-minute for the corresponding game last season. A workhorse second-rower, Moore impressed during a pre-Christmas training block with the Cowboys.
Jensen Taumoepeau
Along with Radel, Taumoepeau has spent the pre-season on a training block with the Cowboys. A former member of the Cronulla Sharks system, Taumoepeau is a hulking outside back who is blessed with a damaging carry out of his own end.
Henry Teutau
Along with Purdue, Teutau is one of two Cowboys Young Guns in Todd Payten’s season-opening squad. A powerfully built middle-forward, Teutau was outstanding in five Queensland Cup appearances at the back end of the 2023 season.
