Jason Taumalolo claims NRL rivals will 'envy' Cowboys pack

Jason Taumalolo is out to perfect his offloading game as he strives to lead a rejuvenated North Queensland Cowboys pack.

The Townsville team finished a disappointing 13th in the NRL last year after being losing grand finalists in 2017.

They did not have a player in the top of the offloading charts, led by Manly's Kiwis prop Martin Taupau.

That's a statistic Taumalolo - the first New Zealander to win the NRL's Dally M player of the year medal -  is keen to put right in 2019.

​The Tonga star told NRL.com he believes the Cowboys pack can become one of the best in the NRL.

"Our forward pack is one most teams will look at and envy. We are going to have to work hard and get some chemistry going but I am excited to see how far we will go with this forward pack and where it will take our game.

"I am excited, just having Josh McGuire join the ranks as another Test forward alongside Jordan McLean and the experienced Matt Scott, a club legend."

"Most teams are going to think we can shake up the competition with this forward pack."

Taumalolo, who shared the Dally M medal with Australian test scrumhalf Cooper Cronk in 2016 - had 23 offloads in 2018 (to Taupau's 71), and he admitted he can "always get better" at the art.

"I am still working on the offloading side of my game and trying to create some second phase. That is something we have really lacked over the last few years in our team.

"Having said that, we now have Josh McGuire there and he is really good at offloading. With Jordan McLean there, that is going to make it a bit easier to play the sort of footy we want to play.

"So probably just in the offloading department and trying to stay consistent are what I will focus on. You can't afford to drop off. Even though we have a great forward pack I'd still like to take myself to the next level."