The North Queensland Toyota Cowboys have agreed to a contract extension with Head Coach Todd Payten running through the end of the 2026 season – three years on top of his original deal which was slated to end in 2023.
Payten returned to North Queensland as Head Coach prior to the 2021 season and despite initial difficult on-field results, oversaw a significant roster overhaul which resulted in the blooding of a number of youngsters including Heilum Luki, Jeremiah Nanai and Griffin Neame.
In 2022 Payten’s team embarked on one of the great turnarounds of the NRL era.
After a 15th place finish in 2021, the 2022 Cowboys secured a top four spot, tying a club record with 17 wins in the process.
A thrilling 32-30 victory over the Sharks in week one of the finals secured the first ever Preliminary Final in North Queensland.
“When we appointed Todd, we were looking to create stability and continuity for our club and a young and emerging playing group,” Cowboys Chairman Lewis Ramsay.
“Our board was confident we were hiring the right coach to lead us into the future and he has exceeded our expectations.
“Today’s announcement of the extension of Todd’s contract is just reward for the vision, passion and dedication he has displayed in his two seasons as Head Coach of our club and we are thrilled he will remain at the helm until at least 2026.”
Cowboys CEO Jeff Reibel said today’s announcement was a significant boost for the club on the dawn of the new season.
“This contract extension locks Todd in as the long-term coach of our club. Todd’s ability, not only on the technical side of coaching, but also how he engages, communicates and leads our players is of the highest order and we’ve seen the response over the last 12 months,” Reibel said.
“Todd’s leadership, calmness and ability to relate to his players are the attributes we were searching for in a long-term coach.
“His passion for our club and our region is undeniable and is one of the driving forces behind his popularity with our members and fans.”
Payten said he was thrilled to finalise his future before the start of the new season.
“North Queensland is our home,” Payten said.
“The first 12 months were lean in terms of results, but we are starting to see the rewards of some decisions we made during that 2021 season around blooding young players and coupled with the elite talent we have in our squad, I am confident we are heading into a truly exciting time at this club.
“This club is very well governed and they have given myself, the coaching staff and the playing group every opportunity to improve.
“Our facility is the best in rugby league, we have a great stadium and we have a supporter base who understand football and support us passionately.
“I always had an ambition to come back to this club and I have no desire to be anywhere else.”
