A year after having his maiden season ruined by injury, Jordan McLean’s second campaign in North Queensland was a completely different story.

After being named the club’s new vice-captain on the eve of the season, McLean missed just two games in 2019 and was regularly among the club’s best performers.

The 28-year-old ran for the second most metres of any Cowboy, with his 2882 metres trailing only Jason Taumalolo.

Of players who appeared in 10 or more games, McLean finished sixth in the NRL with an effective tackle percentage of 94.46%, less than two per cent behind competition leader Ben Matulino (96.34%).

McLean’s best performance came in Round 6 against the Warriors when he rumbled his way to 182 running metres and 25 tackles without a miss in 56 minutes.

The Cowboys vice-captain was named Player’s Player at the end of season presentation night in September.

2019 stats

Games: 22

Average minutes: 52

Average run metres: 131

Average post-contact metres: 46

Average tackles: 29

Effective tackle percentage: 94%