Townsville and Cairns locked in tussle for NRLW team

A North Queensland mayor has vowed to fight to keep one of the nation’s biggest sporting brands from being pried away by a rival city with new details of an NRLW team’s potential departure revealed.

Cairns-born North Queensland Cowboys NRLW player Sareka Mooka in action against the Sydney Roosters. Picture: North Queensland Cowboys.

A North Queensland mayor has vowed to fight to keep one of the nation’s biggest sporting brands from being pried away by a rival city with new details of an NRLW team’s potential departure revealed.

The Cairns Post exclusively reported that the North Queensland Cowboys have been in negotiations with Cairns Regional Council and the state government to relocate their women’s program from Townsville to Cairns by 2026, earlier this week.

Tight-lipped Cowboys officials have declined to comment publicly on the women’s program since, with key stakeholders surprised to learn of its possible departure through the media.

Embattled Townsville mayor Troy Thompson has returned to work. Picture: Evan Morgan

It’s understood that the club has not engaged in formal discussions with Townsville City Council, who sponsor the Cowboys, regarding the plan prior to exploring its options with Cairns-based proponents.

But blindsided Townsville mayor, Troy Thompson, will campaign to keep the club’s NRLW team regardless, claiming the garrison town is better positioned than Cairns to host an elite women’s sports program.

Krystal Blakwell breaks through the Titans’ defensive line during an NRLW trial game held at Alley Park, Gordonvale earlier this month. Picture: Brendan Radke

“As a city we love the NRLW and it would be disappointing to see the club make the move north considering the world-class facilities at their fingertips, not to mention the unrivalled support for the club here in Townsville,” Mr Thompson said.

“If there’s one thing we love in Townsville, it’s a bit of competition and we certainly don’t like losing out to our northern neighbours.

“There’s a reason we’re the sporting and events capital of northern Australia.”

Mr Thompson declared Townsville was the “sporting and events capital of northern Australia”. “Townsville gets behind our teams and knows how to put on a show - the proof is in the pudding, hosting 23,000 fans here for the sold-out Women’s State of Origin just last month,” he said.

The Cape York Hotel, a historic Far North Queensland pub built in 1926, located at the intersection of Bunda and Spence Streets in Cairns. The hotel has been closed since 2022. Picture: Brendan Radke

Beyond the playing field, it’s understood that the pokies-rich club are interested in creating off-field income through a Cairns-based venue, smaller in scale to the Cowboys Leagues Club in Townsville.

There are few options within the immediate vicinity of the club’s proposed home ground of Barlow Park, with the exception of the the vacant Cape York Hotel, which has been closed since 2022, on the corner of Spence and Bunda St.

The hotel, whose rich history dates back to the late 1800s, is currently available for lease and located within walking distance of the women’s team’s proposed home ground of Barlow Park and the Cairns CBD, with multiple nearby parking options.

The Leagues Club – which holds the Cowboys’ NRL licence – generated revenues of nearly $80m last year, returning a profit after income tax of more than $8m.

Insiders expect that Cairns’ ability to provide a training facility comparable in standard to the Cowboys’ $40m high performance centre, opened in 2021, will be critical, with discussions around funding an elite training centre crucial to further negotiations.

Cairns Regional Council Mayor Amy Eden hopes to ensure the region can become a hub for women’s sport in the future. Picture Emily Barker.

A CRC spokesman declined to comment on negotiations when contacted on Wednesday but mayor Amy Eden outlined her hopes for Cairns to become the pre-eminent destination for high level women’s sport in Australia in the council’s July newsletter.

“We have already worked with the state government to secure one AFLW (Hawthorn) Hawks premiership game in Cairns each year for the next three years – and together we can make sure this is just the start,” Ms Eden said.

More detail is expected to be revealed on Thursday afternoon when the Cowboys’ women’s team host their first press conference since the news broke, ahead of their clash with the Dragons at Queensland Country Bank Stadium on Sunday night.

Coach Rick Henry is scheduled to address the media on Friday.

A co-owner of the Cape York Hotel couldn’t be reached prior to deadline.

Originally published as Townsville and Cairns locked in tussle for NRLW team