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Why Drinkwater backs Payten in for 2026
Nicholas Quinlan • August 29th, 2025 7:24 pm
North Queensland’s Scott Drinkwater is of the belief that club officials should back coach Todd Payten in for 2026 despite not making finals.
Having finished 5th last season, hopes of the Cowboys continuing their success into this season were dashed after a poor 0-3 start, which they have struggled to overcome throughout the season.
With only one match left for the season against their arch rivals, the Brisbane Broncos, Drinkwater wants to see North Queensland achieve an upset in the XXXX Derby and help celebrate what will be an important milestone game for the club.
“It’s always a cracking game,” Drinkwater said of the clash on SENQ Breakfast.
“It’s Rueben Cotter’s 100th NRL game and big Jordan McLean’s last game of NRL.
“So, there’s a lot to play for even though it is our last game of the season.”
Reflecting on their season to date, Drinkwater thinks that their poor form comes down to an array of areas. But the 28-year-old thinks that they have gotten better in the last couple of weeks.
“I’m not going to put it all back to how many yardage errors we probably made during the year,” he said.
“Our completion rates have been woeful and have put us under too much pressure and defending too much.
“If you’re defending too much, then you leak points quite easily.
“So, I feel like the last couple of weeks, we’ve been a lot better with our yardage and staying in the game.”
With their poor performances, Payten has consistently been under pressure for his job and whether he will have a job next year.
But Drinkwater is backing his current coach to remain, believing that Payten has done enough to be a coach in 2026.
“He’s done this period well,” he elaborated.
“There was a lot of external noise happening. I mean, he handled it pretty well; he’s kept doing his job and focusing solely on the team.
“He’s done what he has to do, and I think looking now, he’ll be our coach next year.”
The Cowboys will look to finish their season on a high as they take on the Broncos at Queensland Country Bank Stadium in Townsville on Saturday, as they will have the bye in the final round.
SEN will have live coverage of the match available on Broncos Radio, which can be found through its radio network and the SEN app.
Coverage will begin at 7pm AEST.
