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.