Soni pumped to join Reed and the 'cool' kids at the Cowboys

After being linked with a move to the south of France, Soni Luke now finds himself in the north of Queensland, hoping his skill set can help the Cowboys return to the finals after a frustrating and fruitless 2025 campaign.

At 29, Luke brings plenty of experience to Townsville, including 26 NRL games and a NSW Cup premiership across seven seasons at Penrith and 10 Test matches with Tonga.

Sounded out by Cowboys coach Todd Payten just over a fortnight ago, Luke moved quickly once the offer had been tabled, shifting his family to the tropics and eyeing off a trip to Las Vegas to face the Knights at the end of February.

"I spoke to Toddy on a Wednesday and I was up here the next Tuesday," Luke said.

"Tommy [Dearden] and Drinky [Scott Drinkwater] play a pretty cool type of footy and I want to be part of that.

"It's an exciting brand and I can see myself joining in and hopefully helping the team improve.

"I come from a good system with good habits and success so if I can bring some of that to the Cowboys then I’m sure the boys will be happy."

Another man arriving in Townsville from a highly respected system is combative No.9 Reed Mahoney, who helped Parramatta to a grand final in 2022 before moving to the Bulldogs and playing 74 of a possible 75 games between 2023-25.

Mahoney's durability has seen him rack up 175 NRL appearances since debuting in 2018 and at 27 he has plenty of good years left to try and help the Cowboys to a second premiership.

"Reed and I are pretty different which is a good thing," Luke said.

"There are things he does that I would like to be able to do and the more I can learn off elite No.9s like Reed, the better.

"I've been hanging around him and getting a lot of info off him since I moved up here. 

"We have plenty of guys around him who are elite as well and who are keen to win."

After going on a four-game streak between Rounds 4 and 8 last year, where their victims included Canberra and Penrith, the Cowboys could muster only five more wins in their remaining 17 games as they languished in 12th spot.

That proved a far cry from the fifth-placed finish in 2024 when Payten's men knocked the Knights out in week one of the finals before a tight loss at the hands of the Sharks ended their campaign.

With exciting youngsters Ethan King and James Walsh joining experienced hands Mahoney, Luke and Matt Lodge at the Cowboys in 2026, Payten has plenty of depth at his disposal as he mulls over his team list for a first-up clash with the Bulldogs in Sydney on February 7.

That will be followed by a clash against the Panthers in week two of the Witzer Pre-Season Challenge before the Cowboys head to Allegiant Stadium to take on Kalyn Ponga and the Knights.

"We'll be looking to build on some combinations in the trials and build into Round 1," Luke said.

"The effort has been unbelievable, the boys are ripping in and everything is really positive.

"Everyone has been really welcoming since I arrived and it's great having Jase [Taumalolo] up here.

"He is probably Tonga’s greatest ever player and someone I looked up to when I was younger so it has been cool to be around him.

"Having a guy like Jase to lean on has made the transition a bit easier."