As he addressed the team for potentially the last time before Saturday night's clash against the Cowboys, Mitchell Moses looked his teammates in the eye and said: "no excuses".

Rather than worry about his tag as the NRL's $10 million man, North Queensland wrecking ball Jason Taumalolo says his sole concern is making amends for his two-match ban.

North Queensland's impressive start to the 2017 NRL season continued in Townsville on Friday as a composed Cowboys accounted for South Sydney 20-6.

Gold Coast co-captain Ryan James will risk a two-game NRL ban by contesting a shoulder charge citing by the match review panel.

The class of 2017 graduated with flying colours for North Queensland as the injury-hit Cowboys held out the Gold Coast Titans for a 32-26 win in Saturday night's NRL clash.

Jason Taumalolo's staggering $10 million, 10-year contract is unlikely to be the last eye-popping, decade-long deal signed off by an NRL club, insists Cowboys general manager of football Peter Parr.

• ANALYSIS

The Cowboys lock must produce the goods until 2027 under a benchmark deal that should have the NRL questioning the wisdom and fairness of such long-term contracts.

• UPDATED

Jason Taumalolo has signed one of the longest contract deals in NRL history, keeping him at North Queensland until the end of the 2027 season.

North Queensland have added much-needed forward depth by signing Melbourne prop Jordan McLean on a three-year NRL deal.

They met as kids, became mates, then teammates and passed 2000 points within hours of each other. And modern greats Johnathan Thurston and Cameron Smith show no signs of slowing down.

Manly's horror start to the 2017 NRL season has ended emphatically in Townsville after they scored a much-needed 30-8 victory over North Queensland.

• Live

Follow full live coverage of the three NRL clashes on Saturday afternoon.

Brisbane have launched into field goal practice at training ahead of what they expect to be another NRL thriller in Melbourne on Thursday night.

Eighty minutes isn't enough to separate the Cowboys and Broncos, with Thurston the hero yet again with an extra-time field goal to seal victory. But it came at a cost with a possible ACL for star prop Matt Scott.

Canberra Raiders coach questions whether Clay Priest's sin-binning should have happened.

The Cowboys boast superstar playmaker Johnathan Thurston, but the Raiders are targeting a forward-pack wrecking ball.

North Queensland winger Antonio Winterstein is in doubt for the Cowboys' season opener against Canberra, paving the way for young star Kalyn Ponga to return to the NRL.

In his first game back since breaking his jaw in a sickening tackle from Ryan James, Wests Tigers fullback James Tedesco has shown why he's the NRL's next million dollar man.

North Queensland centre Javid Bowen has missed the second half with concussion in the Cowboys' 11-10 NRL trial win against the Sydney Roosters in Mackay.