| Year: | 2023 |
| Team Colour: | navy |
| Font Colour: | white |
| League: | NRL |
| League Rank: | 11th |
| League Wins: | 12 |
| League Draws: | 0 |
| League Losses: | 12 |
| Points For: | 546 |
| Points Against: | 542 |
| Playoff Result: | Missed finals |
| Ceo Title: | CEO |
| Ceo: | Jeff Reibel |
| Coach Title: | Coach |
| Avg Attendance: | 19,175 |
| High Attendance: | 22,811 (vs. Dolphins Round 6) |
| Top Tries: | Kyle Feldt (13) |
| Top Goals: | Valentine Holmes (68) |
| Top Points: | Valentine Holmes (170) |
| Next Season: | 2024 |
The 2023 North Queensland Cowboys season was the 29th in the club's history. Coached by Todd Payten and captained by Jason Taumalolo and Chad Townsend, they competed in the NRL's 2023 Telstra Premiership but did not qualify for the finals.
| Player | Signed From | Until End of | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jack Gosiewski | St George Illawarra Dragons | |||
| Sam McIntyre | Gold Coast Titans (mid-season) | |||
| James Tamou | Wests Tigers | |||
| Semi Valemei | Canberra Raiders (mid-season) |
| Player | Signed To | Until End of | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Iosefo Baleiwairiki | Fijian Drua | |||
| Kane Bradley | Brisbane Tigers | |||
| Brendan Frei | Wynnum Manly Seagulls | |||
| Tom Gilbert | Dolphins | |||
| Connelly Lemuelu | Dolphins | |||
| Jordan Lipp | Western Clydesdales (mid-season) | |||
| Morgan McWhirter | North Sydney Bears | |||
| Laitia Moceidreke | Newcastle Knights (mid-season) | |||
| Emry Pere | Burleigh Bears | |||
| Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow | Dolphins | |||
| Tyreece Woods | Newcastle Knights |
See main article: 2023 NRL pre-season results.
| Date | Round | Opponent | Venue | Score | Tries | Goals | Attendance | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saturday, 12 February | Trial 1 | Dolphins | Barlow Park | 22 – 22 | Derby (2), Moceidreke (2) | Duffy (3/4), Laybutt (0/1) | 6,922 | ||||
| Saturday, 18 February | Trial 2 | Brisbane Broncos | Sunshine Coast Stadium | 18 - 22 | Holmes, Feldt, Nanai | Holmes (3/3) | |||||
| Legend: | |||||||||||
See main article: 2023 NRL season results.
| Name | App | T | G | FG | Pts | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | 3 | - | - | 12 | ||
| 20 | 4 | - | - | 16 | ||
| 23 | 7 | - | - | 28 | ||
| 1 | - | - | - | - | ||
| 21 | 11 | 9 | 1 | 63 | ||
| 8 | – | - | - | - | ||
| 2 | – | - | - | - | ||
| 18 | 13 | - | - | 52 | ||
| 12 | 2 | - | - | 8 | ||
| 7 | 2 | - | - | 8 | ||
| 24 | – | - | - | - | ||
| 1 | - | - | - | - | ||
| 24 | 2 | - | - | 8 | ||
| 22 | 2 | - | - | 8 | ||
| 18 | 8 | 68 | 1 | 170 | ||
| 4 | 3 | - | - | 12 | ||
| 13 | 2 | - | - | 8 | ||
| 13 | 3 | - | - | 12 | ||
| 2 | - | - | - | - | ||
| 22 | 1 | - | - | 4 | ||
| 13 | 6 | - | - | 24 | ||
| 17 | 1 | - | - | 4 | ||
| 2 | – | - | - | - | ||
| 23 | 2 | - | - | 8 | ||
| 2 | – | - | - | - | ||
| 3 | 1 | - | - | 4 | ||
| 20 | 9 | - | - | 36 | ||
| 16 | – | - | - | - | ||
| 17 | - | - | - | - | ||
| 24 | 2 | 6 | 5 | 25 | ||
| 9 | 9 | - | - | 36 | ||
| Totals | 93 | 87 | 7 | 546 |
The following players played a representative match in 2023.
While still affiliated with the Cutters and Pride, the Cowboys used the Blackhawks as their sole feeder club for their NRL players in 2023.
See also: 2023 North Queensland Cowboys Women season. The North Queensland Cowboys Women's team competed in their first season of the NRL Women's Premiership in 2023. They finished 9th, winning two games and losing seven. They were coached by Ben Jeffries and captained by Kirra Dibb and Tallisha Harden.[3]