Very depressing: he was stacked by the NQ cowboys.

Very depressing: he was stacked by the NQ cowboys.

Given that the Cowboys coach is allegedly anticipated to remain in charge for the 2026 season, Todd Payten will likely be given another opportunity to improve North Queensland’s fortunes.

According to a report from Code Sports, Payten has the support of important club decision-makers and will not be fired, at least not for the time being. It comes as North Queensland powerbrokers get ready to do a post-season analysis to figure out how the Cowboys fell from fifth place the previous season to finishing as also-rans so early in the 2025 campaign.

The Cowboys have not advanced to the finals in consecutive years under Payten’s leadership, and although the erratic performance has raised questions over the head coach’s future, Code Sports revealed that his assistant staff may be facing termination instead. Payten is secure, though, and he will be given an opportunity to improve his situation, even though the board is anticipated to make it plain that better results are required in 2026.

This week, Payten expressed his disappointment to reporters about the season’s outcome and stated that the upcoming weeks will be devoted to “building some confidence” before the offseason. “It would be fantastic if there were no injuries, and after we finish our reviews in the coming weeks, it’s about taking a little break and making plans to ensure that we don’t find ourselves in this situation again,” he continued. “There are many factors that affect it, so it’s easier said than done, but we will be examining everything to make sure we get it right.”

Payten stated that ball control is a crucial area for development when asked about any particular areas of attention. He stated, “I just want us to use the ball more intelligently.” Ball control has been a big problem for us; we made a lot of mistakes over the weekend once more. Other aspects of the game are affected by that. “We need to improve over the next two weeks in terms of where and how we turn the ball over.” Earlier in the month, Cowboys football manager Michael Luck defended Payten, praising the underdog coach for being “resolute” in the face of hardship.

At the time, Luck told Code Sports, “I’ll say this, and Todd will probably agree… it’s probably been his toughest year of his tenure, with the absence of a lot of senior players and influential players for a long period of time, with the going being tough.”