The Cowboys were the surprise packets of the NRL by a long way in 2022, and everyone expected they would only get better in 2023.
But the dreaded second year syndrome seemed to hit several of their boom youngsters and they couldn’t quite reproduce their heroics of the previous campaign.
A terrible start proved to be the Cowboys’ undoing. They lost eight of their first 13 games and were chasing their tails in the second half of the season as a result.
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The Cowboys showed their potential by winning seven of the next 10 and claiming some big scalps along the way.
But the suspension of their strike centre Valentine Holmes for a high shot on young Titan Jayden Campbell in round 23 was a massive blow and effectively sealed their fate.
They missed his attacking flair and won just one game without him – against the Dolphins – and they finished a game out of the eight in 11th.
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Best player: Tom Dearden came of age as an NRL playmaker last season and despite the problems of his team-mates, he was all class and a dangerous attacking weapon this season.
Biggest disappointment: Jason Taumalolo is still a weapon, but the marquee man turned 30 mid-season and many of his key stats were down on recent years. He failed to score a try for the first season in over a decade, didn’t have a try assist and made just one line break.
Key signing: The squad needs a freshen up, but it will be largely more of the same next season with young Viliami Vailea from the Warriors the only new face to date.
2024 gains: Viliami Vailea (Warriors).
2024 losses: James Tamou (retired).