We caught up with former North Queensland Toyota Cowboys back David Myles to talk about his early career, joining the Cowboys, and life after football.
Myles, 43, made his NRL debut with the Gold Coast Chargers in 1998, before joining the New Zealand Warriors, North Queensland Cowboys and Gold Coast Titans.
The Brisbane Wests junior made 119 NRL appearances and scored 24 tries before retiring at the end of the 2007 season.
1) You were born in Brisbane and grew up playing your junior footy with Brisbane Wests. How old were you when you started playing and what got you involved?
I started playing in under 9s. I got involved because my old man loved to watch footy and I just wanted to try it.
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2) You made your first grade debut with the Gold Coast Chargers in 1998 as a 20-year-old. How did you find out and what do you remember from that game?
I found out at training. It was against the Broncos and I just remember I was sh***ing myself because they pretty much had the Origin team back then who were all my idols. I was marking Steve Renouf who six weeks earlier I had seen beat the Blues. I remember the first time I got the footy Gorden Tallis picked me up dropped me on my head and Alfie Langer elbowed me across the nose and gave me the classic ‘Welcome to first grade’. I remember thinking ‘What have I got myself into’.
3) After three seasons with the Warriors, you signed with the Cowboys ahead of the 2003 season. What made you want to make the move up north?
I just saw it as a great opportunity. Kevin Campion, who I’d played with at the Warriors, had just signed with the Cowboys so I think that had a bit of an influence on me. I was also never a huge fan of Sydney so moving down there wasn’t really an option.
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4) You were part of the club’s first finals run in 2004. What do you remember about that run in particular?
What I remember is that it was probably the best 6-7 weeks of my footy career. We beat the Wests Tigers down in Campbelltown late in the season which was enough to secure the club's first finals appearance. The reception when we got back to Townsville was great. Then it just went on for six weeks. We played the Bulldogs in the first week of the finals, which nobody expected us to win. Matt Sing killed it and scored three tries. We came home to a big crowd and then went and played the Broncos in Townsville the following week. That was unbelievable. I still get goosebumps talking about that game now. It was a six-week period where it felt like every single North Queenslander was on the ride with us.
5) Looking back at your three seasons in North Queensland, what is your fondest memory?
The best memories are the friends and experiences I had there. Even 15 years later I’m still in contact with a lot of those players. It was a great lifestyle, good friendships and a great group of people both at the club and in the community.
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6) After a season with the Gold Coast Titans in 2007, you retired from professional rugby league. What have you been up to since then?
I started a gutter guard company called Gutter Knight. I franchised it and we are now in 20 locations across six states and expanding. Hopefully we’ll be in North Queensland shortly too!
