Coached by Paul Green and captained by Michael Morgan, they competed in the NRL's 2020 Telstra Premiership.
[2] On 20 July, Green resigned as head coach after just three wins from the opening 10 games.
The Cowboys finished first in Pool 4 and defeated the South Sydney Rabbitohs, Gold Coast Titans and St George Illawarra Dragons on their way to winning the competition.
[19] On 9 April, the NRL announced that competition would re-commence on 28 May with a shortened 20-round regular season.
The Cowboys' three feeder clubs, the Mackay Cutters, Northern Pride and Townsville Blackhawks, each played just one game before the 2020 Queensland Cup season was postponed and later cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.