LeagueNews.co | Jess Malloy
In preparation for the 2026 NRL season, the North Queensland Cowboys have confirmed their development list, which includes a combination of young talents and a host of new recruits.
Returning home to Townsville is Ethan King, who has played three matches for the Sydney Roosters over the past two seasons. King, a product of Ipswich Grammar School, previously competed for the Ipswich Jets in the Mal Meninga Cup and earned a place in the Under-16s Queensland team early in his career.
Ethan is the son of Andrew King, who played 133 first-grade matches for Gold Coast, Manly, Northern Eagles, and South Sydney. He belongs to a family of former players, including ex-Parramatta Eels forward Chris King and Australian and NSW Blues representative Matt King.
Joining King on the development list is Mason Barber, a 2024 Australian Schoolboys star who has been sidelined all year due to a shoulder injury. Additionally, Matthew Watts, a former member of the club's Young Guns program and a former school teammate of Jaxon Purdue at St Patrick's College, also features in the lineup.
Xavier Kerrisk will remain on the club's development list for a second consecutive season and is considered a promising candidate for the future No.9 position for the Cowboys.
Completing the development list are Liam Sutton and Ronald Philitoga. Philitoga joins the Cowboys after securing a train-and-replacement deal with the Brisbane Broncos and is set to make his international debut for Fiji against Papua New Guinea on Saturday afternoon.