North Queensland Cowboys prepare to battle in new stadium

Queensland Country Bank Stadium will host its first rugby league clash in Round 1 of the 2020 NRL season.

The North Queensland Cowboys are preparing to take over their brand-new home ahead of the 2020 NRL campaign.

The Queensland Country Bank Stadium is a state-of-the-art multi-purpose stadium that has been unveiled in South Townsville.

Preparing to host international superstar, Elton John, later this month, the stadium will now be the new home of the North Queensland Cowboys.

Tickets to the first six home clashes are now on sale, with the Cowboys preparing to play a total of 12 home games in Townsville.

The Cowboys enter the 2020 season off the back of a superb NRL Nines campaign, where they eventually took home the Championship.

The Cowboys won all five matches, including a 23-14 victory in the Grand Final over the St. George Illawarra Dragons, crowing them Champions of the NRL’s pre-season tournament in Perth.

Queensland Country Bank Stadium opening match

Fans won’t have to wait too long to see Townsville’s new stadium come alive, with the first rugby league game to be played at the venue scheduled for Round 1. They’ve got an absolute blockbuster locked in, with the North Queensland Cowboys set to host their archrivals Brisbane Broncos on Friday 13 March.

A flip of the coin on paper, the Cowboys will be looking for a sell-out crowd to kick-start their new era, and a strong start is imperative if they are to jump back into finals contention once again.

North Queensland Cowboys: ones to watch

Fans will be buoyed by the off-season acquisition of 24-year-old Valentine Holmes, fresh off trying his hand in the NFL.

Holmes, both an Australian and Origin representative with Queensland, cut short a promising career with the Cronulla Sharks at the conclusion of 2018 to chase his NFL dream.

He returns to the NRL in 2020 with the Cowboys, looking to build on a 2018 season that saw him finish second in the league for tries scored, and fourth in Dally M voting at only 22 years of age.

The Cowboys took home the NRL Nines crown in Perth

This came after a phenomenal 2017 Rugby League World Cup that saw him finish the tournament as the top try-scorer.

Holmes is joined by another new recruit, promising 23-year-old New Zealander Esan Marsters. Marsters crosses over after three years at the Wests Tigers.

Michael Morgan will continue as captain of the Cowboys in 2020, himself an Australian and Queensland Origin representative. After two injury-interrupted seasons, Morgan will be looking to reclaim his form of 2017, which saw him named as Dally M Halfback of the Year.

Tickets to the North Queensland Cowboys first six clashes at Queensland Country Bank Stadium are on sale now at Ticketmaster.com.au.