NRL: Cowboys greats champion NRL club’s Pride partnership
North Queensland Cowboys chief executive officer Jeff Reibel is confident the NRL club’s partnership with Cairns-based QRL club the Northern Pride will not be compromised by the ongoing impacts of the coronavirus outbreak.
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North Queensland Cowboys chief executive officer Jeff Reibel is confident the NRL club’s partnership with Cairns-based Queensland Rugby League club the Northern Pride will not be compromised by the ongoing impacts of the coronavirus outbreak.
Reibel and club legend Johnathan Thurston were in the Far North yesterday to attend the Cairns Chamber of Commerce’s monthly business luncheon, as well as a special meet-and-greet event with the Pride’s valued sponsors.
While in the region, Reibel took the opportunity to reassure Pride supporters the club had a rosy future.
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He said, while there was still uncertainty about what the NRL and, as a result, the QRL, might look like next year, the Cowboys were committed to ensuring the Pride’s longevity.
He said the flow-on effects of COVID-19 would not compromise their partnership.
“We talk about the pathway and being able to identify young talent and keep them here in the region under the tutelage of an old boy of the club in Ty Williams,” he said.
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“We’re looking to see what happens from an NRL club perspective for funding for next year and beyond, but it’s our certain intention to continue that support, because that support comes back to us as well.
“It allows us to be able to send those players that aren’t playing first grade each weekend back to … play at a high level.”
He said the Pride and the Far North were “a big part” of the Cowboys’ identity.
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“Now that we have the opportunity to do a bit of travel, we wanted to come up and thank everyone in Cairns for supporting us and supporting the Northern Pride through these times,” Reibel said.
Pride head coach Ty Williams, who played 151 games for the Cowboys during his nine-season NRL career, said the partnership was at its strongest before the pandemic, and hoped it would be just as fruitful in the aftermath.
“It’s probably the strongest it’s been since I’ve been at the club and it’s no hidden fact that before I started, it wasn’t as good as it should’ve been,” he said.
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“Now we’re heading in the right direction, you can see it on the field with guys like Hamiso (Tabuai-Fidow), Cliffo (Jake Clifford) and the likes.”
Thurston said the Pride had always been a great supporter of the Cowboys, and vice versa.
“To come up here and spend a bit of time in the community is important,” he said.
“With the partnership we have with the Pride and the Cowboys, we’ll get each other through these tough times.”
Originally published as NRL: Cowboys greats champion NRL club’s Pride partnership