North Queensland Cowboys reaping reward from faith in youth in positive start to NRL season

The North Queensland Cowboys are tapping into their homegrown talent, with the club's rising stars helping spark an early-season resurgence.

The Cowboys are Queensland's leading NRL side on the ladder, sitting in seventh place with a 3-3 win-loss record after the opening six rounds of the minor premiership.

But they could easily be just below the undefeated Penrith Panthers on the standings, as two of their three losses have been by two points or less.

Regardless, they have some of their young talent to thank for their early-season improvements.

Tom Dearden (21 years old), Jeremiah Nanai (19), Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow (20) and Heilum Luki (21) have been just some of the stand-outs for North Queensland so far this season, with each of them producing match-winning moments.

The quartet share some things in common: they are North Queenslanders, were all born this millennium and plied their trade as young footballers at some of the state's best rugby league nurseries.

Nanai is a product of Townsville's Kirwan State High School.

The teenager, who has played 10 NRL matches since debuting last year, sat equal third on this season's try-scoring standings with five at the beginning of round seven.

Nanai said playing for Kirwan — known as the Bears — was pivotal to his smooth transition into professional rugby league.

«I gained a lot from going to Kirwan High, from just working hard and just putting your head down,» he told ABC Sport.

«You've got to wake up early … three times a week [for training] at the school … it's different. It's a good footy school and a good education school and people love going there.

»A lot of talent has come out from there."

Nanai was recruited by the Cowboys in his mid-teens. He skipped Schoolies in 2020 after