EXCLUSIVE: Cowboys Take the Plunge as Star Forward Jeremiah Nanai Gets a Much-Needed Wake-Up Call

Phil Gould believes that Cowboys star Jeremiah Nanai’s stint in reserve grade could serve as the much-needed jolt for the young talent to lift his performance levels.

North Queensland’s disastrous beginning to the 2025 season has raised alarm bells for coach Todd Payten, prompting him to make adjustments to his starting lineup.

Payten described the decision to drop Nanai, a player with State of Origin credentials for the Maroons, as “not easy,” but acknowledged ongoing worries regarding his defensive capabilities.

In the match against Manly, Nanai recorded 23 tackles while missing three, and his attacking output was limited to just two runs for a mere 16 metres.

In the wake of an impressive three-year stint in the Super League, local talent Kai O’Donnell will step in to fill Nanai’s role in the back-row.

“He’s been struggling with defensive issues for a while now, and I believe they’ve been overlooked in the past,” said Gould during an appearance on Wide World of Sports’ Six Tackles with Gus.

“It’s clear he’s a marquee player, part of the Origin setup, earning a good salary… He’s a talented young player, but he hasn’t been properly accountable for his defence until now.”

“Finally, the coach has taken the plunge, and he’ll return to Queensland Cup to work on that aspect of his game.”

The 22-year-old has publicly expressed his commitment to improving his defensive skills this season, whilst his attacking prowess has not gone unnoticed by his coach.

Following the heavy defeat the team faced at Brookvale last Saturday, focusing on defence has become paramount ahead of Round 2.

At one stage during the game, the Cowboys found themselves having made three times as many tackles as their rivals, who excelled on the field.

Gould pointed out that while North Queensland showed promise during the pre-season trials, simple mistakes can often go unnoticed during those outings.

“Off-seasons can be peculiar,” he remarked.

“They can go horribly wrong, but you can also be misled by them.”

“You may feel you’ve done the work and are ready, only to face a sharp reality check when you hit the field… it can be shocking.”

“I’ve seen teams completely fall apart… clubs that believed they had strong off-seasons have come out and performed poorly in game one.”

“It can take a while to find their rhythm after such instances.”

“The Cowboys had a tough challenge to start with, facing a full-strength Manly team at Brookvale… yet they struggled to find their footing.”

“Occasionally, you have days like that against a good side playing at home, it happens. Historically, the Cowboys haven’t excelled away from home.”

“Whatever they accomplished during the off-season didn’t manifest in that game.”

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Prominent figures in the sport quickly reacted to comments made by Payten about the team’s preparedness and mental stance following the match.

However, Gould rejected the notion that player mentality or lack of motivation was a key factor in the shocking loss.

“Occasionally a coach will say they had a feeling something was going to go awry, but felt powerless to reach the players,” he remarked.

“If the players’ commitment is lacking, then you’re in trouble, but I genuinely don’t believe this is the case with the Cowboys.

“Emotional and mental disconnect from the game led to their deterioration, and they became trapped in their own thoughts.”

“These are issues we commonly discuss in professional sports… I suspect that’s what Payten was alluding to.

“They need to reassess and determine what they may have overlooked during the off-season.”

“There’s going to be significant introspection, not only for the Cowboys but also among many teams that faced defeat in Round 1.”

Gould continued, “Payten needs to put it behind them.”

“They must return to basics and identify what aspects they may have neglected during preparations.”

“And mentally, why did they falter so dramatically? What caused them to descend from bad to worse throughout the game? Why were they unable to regain control? They never appeared as though they could stage a comeback.”