The North Queensland Toyota Cowboys have agreed to a three-year contract extension with homegrown prop Coen Hess, running through the 2027 season.
The new deal will take Hess one step closer to becoming a one-club player with the Mt Isa Black Stars junior set to turn 31 in the final season of the contract.
Hess broke into the NRL with the Cowboys as a 19-year-old in 2015 following a prolific NYC career. By 2017 he had solidified his reputation as one of the best young forwards in rugby league, scoring 13 tries in 27 games on the way to a grand final appearance.
He claimed the Paul Bowman Medal for Cowboys Player of the Year in 2021, in a season where he moved from second row to middle forward.
Hess has moved up to 14th on the Cowboys’ all-time appearance list with 167 games over the course of his 10 NRL seasons. If not for an ACL injury in the final trial match leading into this season, Hess would have entered the club’s top 10 in 2024.
The 27-year-old is currently rehabbing from an ACL reconstruction, but is expected to be fully fit by the 2025 pre-season.
“We’re thrilled to be able to announce Coen’s extension for the next three seasons,” Cowboys General Manager of Football Micheal Luck said.
“He has been a huge contributor to this club over a long period of time and is a point of difference for us on the field with the work he churns through as well as his enthusiasm and intensity.
“We’re excited to have another North Queensland junior taking another step towards becoming a one-club player.”
