| Year: | 2016 |
| Team Colour: | navy |
| Font Colour: | white |
| League: | NRL |
| League Rank: | 4th |
| League Wins: | 15 |
| League Draws: | 0 |
| League Losses: | 9 |
| Points For: | 584 |
| Points Against: | 355 |
| Ceo Title: | CEO |
| Ceo: | Greg Tonner |
| Coach Title: | Coach |
| Avg Attendance: | 16,692 |
| High Attendance: | 25,163 (vs. Brisbane Broncos, Round 11) |
| Top Tries: | Kyle Feldt (15) |
| Top Goals: | Johnathan Thurston (98) |
| Top Points: | Johnathan Thurston (201) |
| Next Season: | 2017 |
The 2016 North Queensland Cowboys season was the 22nd in the club's history and their first as defending premiers. Coached by Paul Green and co-captained by Johnathan Thurston and Matthew Scott, they competed in the NRL's 2016 Telstra Premiership. In the pre-season the Cowboys competed in the 2016 Auckland Nines tournament, reaching the quarter-finals. The team finished the regular season in 4th, losing in the preliminary final to the eventual premiers, the Cronulla Sharks.
| Player | Signed From | Until End of | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shaun Hudson | Gold Coast Titans | |||
| Jahrome Hughes | Townsville Blackhawks | |||
| Patrick Mago | Canberra Raiders |
| Player | Signed To | Until End of | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Glenn Hall | Townsville Blackhawks | |||
| Viliame Kikau | Penrith Panthers | |||
| Cameron King | Parramatta Eels | |||
| Robert Lui | Salford Red Devils | |||
| Hezron Murgha | Townsville Blackhawks | |||
| Zac Santo | Canberra Raiders | |||
| Scott Schulte | Parramatta Eels | |||
| Kelepi Tanginoa | Parramatta Eels | |||
| Matthew Wright | Manly Sea Eagles (mid-season) |
See main article: 2016 NRL Auckland Nines. The NRL Auckland Nines is a pre-season rugby league nines competition featuring all 16 NRL clubs. The Cowboys, whose side featured a returning Matthew Bowen, finished first in their pool before being eliminated by the Melbourne Storm in the quarter-finals.
| Date | Time (Local) | Round | Opponent | Venue | Score | Tries | Goals | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saturday, 6 February | 1:20pm | Round 1 | Newcastle Knights | Eden Park | 28 - 12 | M. Bowen (1), Morgan (1) | ||||||
| Saturday, 6 February | 5:40pm | Round 2 | Wests Tigers | Eden Park | 12 - 13 | - | ||||||
| Sunday, 7 February | 11:50am | Round 3 | Penrith Panthers | Eden Park | 15 - 11 | Coote (1) | ||||||
| Sunday, 7 February | 2:30pm | Quarter-final | Melbourne Storm | Eden Park | 6 - 14 | Coote (1) | ||||||
| Legend: | ||||||||||||
See main article: 2016 World Club Series.
| Date | Round | Opponent | Venue | Score | Tries | Goals | Attendance | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saturday, 6 February | Trial 1 | Brisbane Broncos | Salter Oval | 26 - 48 | Chudleigh, Creith, Hughes, Mago, Ponga | Laybutt (3/5) | 8,122 | ||||
| Thursday, 11 February | Trial 2 | Townsville Blackhawks | Jack Manski Oval | 18 - 16 | Cooper, Morgan, O'Neill | Thurston (3/3) | style="text-align:center;" | - | |||
| Sunday, 21 February | Trial 3 | Leeds Rhinos | Headingley Stadium | 38 - 4 | Thurston (5/7) | 19,778 | |||||
| Legend: | |||||||||||
| Date | Round | Opponent | Venue | Score | Tries | Goals | Attendance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saturday, 10 September | Qualifying Final | Melbourne Storm | AAMI Park | 16 - 10 | Thurston (1/2) | 21,233 | ||
| Friday, 16 September | Semi-final | Brisbane Broncos | 1300SMILES Stadium | 26 - 20 | Thurston (5/6) | 23,804 | ||
| Friday, 23 September | Preliminary Final | Cronulla Sharks | Allianz Stadium | 32 - 20 | Thurston (2/4) | 36,717 | ||
| Legend: | ||||||||
| Name | App | T | G | FG | Pts | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19 | - | - | - | - | ||
| 27 | 2 | - | - | 8 | ||
| 10 | 4 | - | - | 16 | ||
| 1 | 1 | - | - | 4 | ||
| 26 | 9 | - | - | 36 | ||
| 27 | 5 | - | 1 | 21 | ||
| 24 | 15 | - | - | 60 | ||
| 25 | 2 | - | - | 8 | ||
| 24 | - | - | - | - | ||
| 8 | 4 | - | - | 16 | ||
| 1 | 1 | - | - | 4 | ||
| 12 | - | - | - | - | ||
| 26 | 1 | - | - | 4 | ||
| 22 | 5 | - | - | 20 | ||
| 25 | 9 | 7 | - | 50 | ||
| 1 | - | - | - | - | ||
| 22 | 9 | - | - | 36 | ||
| 25 | 13 | - | - | 52 | ||
| 2 | - | - | - | - | ||
| 23 | 2 | - | - | 8 | ||
| 2 | - | - | - | - | ||
| 25 | 2 | - | - | 8 | ||
| 27 | 6 | - | - | 24 | ||
| 7 | 3 | - | - | 12 | ||
| 24 | 2 | 96 | 1 | 201 | ||
| 24 | 13 | - | - | 52 | ||
| Totals | 108 | 103 | 2 | 640 |
The following players have played a representative match in 2016.