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North Queensland coach Todd Payten has dropped popular rookie Heilum Luki, saying the young forward hadn't live up to club standards recently.

Popular North Queensland rookie Heilum Luki has been dropped with coach Todd Payten saying the young forward didn't live up to club standards over the bye week.

The 20-year-old raced onto the NRL scene in the Cowboys round 10 win over Newcastle, scoring a try on debut, before having a stellar performance a week later against the Warriors.

But when asked about the towering back-rower's omission from Friday's showdown with Manly, Payten was scarce on details.

"Heilum's been strong in the couple of games he's played for us but he wasn't considered for us this week," Payten said.

"He hasn't lived up to our values and standards in the past 7-10 days."

Payten would not comment further on the issue.

The Cowboys wont be short on firepower with Luki missing on Friday night.

Captain Jason Taumalolo returns from suspension while newly-acquired, ex-Brisbane halfback Tom Dearden will start his first game alongside playmaker Scott Drinkwater.

Syncing a new halves pairing takes time, Payten conceded, but he's excited to see his young playmakers take the field and build chemistry.

He's also confident Dearden will fit in relatively quickly.

"We've manipulated our attacking points to take a little bit of pressure off him," Payten said.

"But his skill set and his talk and direction was pretty good, so I'm excited to see how he goes.

"I think if everyone else around him can do their job it's certainly going to make his transition smoother, but he's very capable kid and has slotted in well."

All three of North Queensland's State of Origin representatives have been named to face Manly at Brookvale Oval, but Payten will give Valentine Holmes and Kyle Feldt every minute available to show their readiness while Coen Hess is 18th man for Queensland.