Todd Payten’s 2022 Cowboys have showed every struggling NRL side the blueprint to turn their club around after rising from 15th last season to be on the verge of grand final glory.
The Cowboys have torched the theory it takes years for clubs dwindling at the bottom of the ladder to transform themselves into premiership contenders.
The 2022 Cowboys on the surface are not much different to the 2021 side on paper, save for a couple of astute signings, but what they have dished up on the field is poles apart.
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So how did Payten turn a team that was getting flogged just last year into a top four team capable of lifting the trophy in the space of just 12 short months?
Foxsports.com.au breaks down how Payten transformed the Cowboys from easybeats to title contenders in just one season.
DEFENCE IS THE KEY
It’s not the sexiest part of turning a club around, but improving their defence is by far the most important element to the Cowboys’ renaissance.
To be a good defensive side you first have to be an extremely fit one and Payten has been working since the end of last season to turn the Cowboys into one of the fittest teams in the NRL.
The Cowboys were a rabble defensively in 2021 conceding a whopping 748 points, the worst in the NRL to finish second last with just seven wins to their name.
Payten knew he had the bones of a good attacking side, but that his team wouldn’t rise up the ladder in a hurry until they could fix their woeful defence.
Fast forward 12 months and the Cowboys conceded just 361 points in the regular season, which was the second fewest behind only the minor premiers the Panthers with 330.
The key to this amazing turnaround according to Payten was to make his players uncomfortable from the start of the 2022 pre-season.
From early morning training runs to torturous running sessions and physical tackling drills, Payten designed the pre-season to put his players under immense pressure physically and mentally.
That way when the tough moments in games came, his players would be comfortable with being uncomfortable and respond accordingly.
Mark Carroll revealed the key to the Cowboys’ turnaround in defence and fitness was good old fashioned hard work.
“He bashed the shit out of them, he said ‘if you train hard, you end up playing hard’,” Carroll told foxsports.com.au.
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“If you train the way you want to play, it ends up going out onto the field, so it sounds like they had an amazing off-season.
“Chad Townsend said it was ridiculous some of the things they did, but it hardens you for the back end of the season which we can see at the moment.
“It reminds me so much of the Manly days, we had the best defence in the game in 1995, we’d hold sides out for three sets of six and then score, it was amazing.
“I saw that in a game, the Cowboys vs Penrith, I called the game and they just kept repelling the line.
“The old school saying stands, if you can get your defence right, the attack comes and they have some amazing attacking players, but you have got to get your defence right.
“They need to lay platforms and bash Parramatta in the forwards on Friday, they have to.”
Ask any coach in the NRL and he will tell you defence is about attitude first and foremost and Payten has his players willing to turn up time after time for their teammates.
By building a good culture off the field and on it, Payten has his players competing hard on every single play.
In working hard for the player inside you, Payten has instilled a defensive system that is now the envy of nearly every team in the NRL, which is a far cry from the laughing stock of last year.
Led by his team’s defensive turnaround, the Cowboys and Payten can have the last laugh.
HALVES ARE KING
The most valuable commodity in the NRL and the hardest one to obtain is a solid and reliable scrumbase partnership.
There is a dearth of quality halfbacks and five-eighths in the NRL and the simple fact is you can’t win a premiership without a standout No.6 and No.7.
Plenty of heads were turned when the Cowboys went after two halfbacks in Broncos reject Tom Dearden and Sharks veteran Chad Townsend to build their side around.
But Payten knew after the retirements of future Immortal Johnathan Thurston and club great Michael Morgan in quick succession, that the halves was a crucial area that needed addressing.
Scott Drinkwater showed plenty of promise in attack as a five-eighth, but his defensive deficiencies meant that he was not the right man to play in the halves long-term.
The club were criticised for not going harder for Adam Reynolds, but Payten knew Townsend was the right fit for the club and went hard for him.
While many believe the Cowboys paid overs for Townsend, Payten knew he was exactly what he needed in the halfback hot seat.
Despite his critics, Townsend is a premiership winning No.7, who knows how to direct a team around the park and bring out the best in his teammates, most notably Dearden.
Townsend’s astute kicking game, solid defence and reliable passing means that the gap between his best and worst performances is minimal.
Carroll believes the switch to the Cowboys has reinvigorated Townsend for the back end of his career.
“He has been great, he needed a change and it probably got a bit stale at the Sharks,” Carroll said.
“What a great opportunity to play for the Cowboys and all good halfbacks come off the back of good go-forward.”
Payten knew if Townsend could be consistent at halfback it would take the pressure off the rest of the players around him and allow them to stick to their roles and nail them down.
Payten also saw in Dearden what the Broncos didn’t and lured him to the club mid-season in 2021.
While others saw a halfback that had failed to live up the hype in Brisbane, Payten saw a hard working, driven youngster who was hellbent on making it in the NRL.
By shifting him to five-eighth, Payten took all the pressure off Dearden and allowed him to regain his confidence and thrive in first grade.
By pairing him with a seasoned veteran in Townsend, Dearden was able to learn from a premiership winning halfback and focus on his own strengths for the betterment of the team.
One only has to look at how Dearden performed in the Origin arena to know he is a 10-year NRL player and will only get better with more time and confidence at NRL level.
Both players have thrived in 2022 and their partnership has turned the Cowboys from a bottom two team into a premiership threat in one short season.
STRIKE CENTRES ARE VITAL
As crucial as halves are in the NRL, they can’t do much without threats on their outside to finish off their try-scoring opportunities.
While the Cowboys have always had potent wing options, they have lacked strike centres in recent years.
The decision by Payten to move big money signing Valentine Holmes from the wing and fullback positions to the centre role was an inspired selection call.
While all the critics said Holmes had to play fullback because he was on fullback money, Payten devised a plan to play him as a strike centre and still give the Cowboys value for money.
Holmes has nailed the defensive workload at centre, but his ability to play a floating role in attack has given the Cowboys a new element to their game.
However, Holmes is not the only Cowboys strike centre to emerge in 2022, with former Manly and Warriors player Peta Hiku joining the club.
Hiku scored just one try in 10 games for the Warriors in 2021, but Payten backed himself to get him back to the form of his early career at Manly.
The 29-year-old has blossomed under Payten, playing 25 games this season and scoring five tries.
However, it is Hiku’s defence that has most impressed in 2022 and he has held his side of the field together for the Cowboys and allowed Holmes to thrive on the other.
The partnership of Holmes and Hiku has made the Cowboys a threat on the edges on both sides of the ball and created even more opportunities for their Origin wingers Kyle Feldt and Murray Taulagi.
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POWER PLAYERS RULE
The modern NRL game is tailored to power forwards who can make an impact for sustained periods.
Gone are the days of having giant forwards who make short, sharp bursts before returning to the bench for a breather.
Impact is important but not at the expense of playing quality minutes and having the fitness to stay in the contest for extended periods.
Jason Taumalolo is the perfect example of how Payten is getting the best out of his forwards when they are on the field, while not being afraid to give them a spell when they need it.
Last year Payten reduced Taumalolo’s minutes too far the other way and it hurt his rhythm and impact on the contest.
Taumalolo has been back to his barnstorming best this season, but Payten hasn’t been afraid to give him a breather when the opportunity presents itself.
By using his most dangerous forward in this manner, Payten has set the standard for his other big men to work themselves to the bone when they are on the field, safe in the knowledge that there are other options on the bench if and when they tire or need a spell.
Mark Carroll believes the Cowboys are reaping the benefits of Payten’s approach to Taumalolo this season.
“We saw everyone blowing up about Jason Taumalolo last year, but we are seeing the best footy out of his game,” Carroll said.
“It is good to see him get more minutes and it is good to see him do his 10 to 20 carries and 250 plus run metres.
“If they want to win the comp, that’s what Jason needs to be doing, leading from the front.”
Getting quality over quantity out of his forwards has put them all on notice and got the Cowboys pack producing its best on a consistent basis.
After some tough years in first grade Jordan McLean and Coen Hess rediscovered their best in 2022 by improving their fitness and giving Payten quality minutes when they are on the field, before resting on the bench when they are spent.
Payten recognised that overplaying some of his big men only leads to fatigue and defensive lapses in the middle third of the field and the pack has thrived as a result.
GIVING YOUNGSTERS OPPORTUNITIES
Payten looked at his roster heading into this season and identified which players would thrive if given the opportunity for a greater role in the team.
The three players that have benefited most from this are fullback Scott Drinkwater and forwards Reuben Cotter and Jeremiah Nanai.
All three were not exactly lighting the competition on fire last year, but the confidence the coach instilled in them has seen them all have breakout years in 2022.
Drinkwater was shelved as a halves option at the start of the year, but an injury to Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow opened the door for him to make the fullback spot his own and he hasn’t looked back.
Drinkwater has thrived out of the front line where the extra defensive duties were not bringing out the best in him.
At fullback he is able to direct the defensive line without having to make 20 to 30 tackles a game and that is freeing him up to dominate with ball in hand.
Cotter has blossomed into an Origin star and his workhorse approach is rubbing off on his teammates.
Cotter’s versatility also allows Payten to use him at prop and in the back row, which gives the team more options when injuries strike.
Carroll believes Cotter will be a key for the Cowboys against a big and mobile Eels pack in the preliminary final.
“Reuben Cotter, I am a very big fan, they missed him after the Origin period but now he is back fighting fit,” Carroll said.
“He has got to be at his best too, to beat Parramatta you have to bash Parramatta, you have to beat them through the middle and take away the impact of Campbell-Gillard and Paulo.
“Get in their face, it is preliminary final footy, you lose, guess what, you are out.”
Nanai has emerged as a generational talent and an Origin star, but that wouldn’t have happened without Payten putting his faith in him as a stating second-rower.
Nanai still has defensive deficiencies, but the confidence the coach put in him has allowed him to thrive, particularly in attack where he has scored the most tries of any forward in the competition.
The key to bringing these youngsters through is surrounding them with the right veterans to bring out the best in them.
If you throw young players to the wolves they have a harder time in making the step up to the NRL, but with players like Taumalolo and Towsnend leading the way it allows the young stars to focus on their own game.
IMPORTANCE OF X-FACTOR
The Cowboys realised they needed players with genuine X-factor to compete with the best teams in the NRL.
Dearden provides speed and an ability to break the game open with his running game, while Drinkwater provides spark with both his running and passing games at the back.
Drinkwater’s rise has allowed Payten the unusual method of carrying an outside back in Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow on the bench and his speed late in the game is a match winning luxury for the club, espeiclaly in finals where one play can win you the match.
Holmes as a centre gives the Cowboys a floating threat to bob up all over the field and make you pay.
Reece Robson has provided plenty of spark out of dummyhalf and with the rest of the spine settled, he has had a breakout year to the point he was a Blues Origin smokey.
The signing of Luciano Leilua also gave the Cowboys some real X-factor and impact off the bench.
The knock on Leilua at the Tigers was that he would drift out of games and was guilty of poor defence at times.
However, Payten has simplified Leilua’s role coming off the bench at the Cowboys and he knows he just has to give everything when he comes on and try and ignite the team no matter how many or few minutes he plays.
NRL defences are so good, particularly sides like Penrith, so the fact the Cowboys have X-factor right across the park gives them the chance to match it with the best teams in the competition and break their defence open.
This Cowboys team’s best years may be still ahead of them, but Payten has rebuilt the team so that they are a very real chance of going from second last to first in the space of 12 months and the title is a real possibility this season.
