The North Queensland Toyota Cowboys officially kicked off 2016 pre-season training with a session at the Townsville Sports Reserve on Monday.

With a portion of the Cowboys’ 2016 NRL squad having started their training a week prior, Monday’s first session included the 17 players who contested the 2015 NRL grand final against the Brisbane Broncos in early October.

Clive Churchill Medal winner Johnathan Thurston and his co-captain Matt Scott led the charge at the opening session, with Scott on a modified program as he returns from off-season neck surgery.

While Thurston and his teammates sweated it out over nearly two hours of conditioning and skills exercises, Scott and Javid Bowen (shoulder) ran up Castle Hill as part of their modified training program.

Rory Kostjasyn (ankle) and Kyle Feldt (ankle) partook in a boxing session, while Patrick Kaufusi (knee) and Ray Thompson (knee) worked out on the rowing machine.

The next three weeks will be a mixture of conditioning, skills and weights sessions heading into a two-week Christmas break, with training set to resume on Monday 4 January.