NRL 2022: Chad Townsend’s influence rivals Cowboys great Johnathan Thurston
Eyebrows were raised when North Queensland tempted 31-year-old Chad Townsend away from the Shire, but Todd Payten’s faith has been justified.
NRL
Don't miss out on the headlines from NRL. Followed categories will be added to My News.
He’s not quite Johnathan Thurston, but Chad Townsend’s influence on the Cowboys this season has been just as important, says club legend Matt Bowen.
Thurston famously led the Cowboys to a maiden grand final appearance in his first season at the club in 2005 and Townsend is now just 80 minutes away from doing the same, 17 years later.
Eyebrows were raised when North Queensland tempted the 31-year-old playmaker away from the Shire to partner Tom Dearden in the halves, but those doubts have been comprehensively quashed over the course of a remarkable Cowboys campaign.
Dearden’s transformation from Broncos whipping boy to Queensland State of Origin star has been monumental, and Scott Drinkwater’s return to the No. 1 has unlocked a career-best season from the 25-year-old.
And Bowen says Townsend was the missing piece to unlock the best of his two talented teammates – a piece that no one save Cowboys coach Todd Payten saw as the solution to their playmaking puzzle just 12 months ago.
“Everyone was thinking, ‘why did you get him?’ but he’s shown now why the Cows put faith in him to guide this team around after losing (Thurston),” Bowen told News Corp.
“Chaddy brings that experience and calmness to everything that they do, and that allows Tommy to play off the back of that and Scotty Drinkwater … you give him the ball and he can just do what he does best.
“Chad has brought with him that experience from winning a grand final with the Sharkies and his direction around the park has been so important (to the Cowboys).”
The 32-30 overtime win over the Sharks a fortnight ago was the first NRL final for more than half of the Cowboys’ 17. Bowen said there could be no understating the importance of Townsend’s post-season experience for a team that has had so little September action in years gone by.
“I think it’s super important to be honest. Guys that have played finals know what to expect,” he said.
“Every ball counts, every catch counts and the one-percent plays that coaches all talk about, they all count. This weekend will be no different.”
Bowen famously flourished at fullback for the Cowboys after swapping from five-eighth early in the 2002 season, going on to become one of the NRL’s all-time greatest No. 1s. He’s seen a similar shift in Drinkwater’s game since giving up the No.6.
“He’s been unbelievable. He just pops up everywhere, plays ad lib and importantly he can kick as well,” Bowen said.
“Drinkwater has played so well. Now they just need to keep him there and let him keep injecting himself throughout the game. He’s going to be a big part of success going forward.”
In his 270 games for the Cowboys, Bowen played in three preliminary finals and one decider – the heartbreaking 2005 defeat to the Wests Tigers.
For all his incredible playing accolades, premiership success eluded Bowen and he urged the current Cowboys crop to not waste the chances when they come.
“As a player you think, ‘we always have next year’ but next year is a totally different year,” Bowen said.
“You have to take this opportunity with both hands because it doesn’t come around often.
“It’s hard enough to win games week-in, week-out through the season, let alone semis and grand finals.
“Train hard, play hard and leave everything on the park this weekend. Because no doubt it will be a tough one.”
‘You won’t like it here’: Cowboys turn up heat on Brown
Inaugural Cowboys captain Laurie Spina let out a chuckle when he read Parramatta playmaker Dylan Brown “hates” the heat.
Because North Queensland – the team and its fans – is readying to turn the dial all the way up ahead of a historic preliminary final in Townsville.
Spina says all of Parramatta’s flaws that were laid bare by the Cowboys in a 35-4 Darwin rout earlier this year could be readily exposed once again in near-30 degree heat if the Eels are not careful.
“We all saw what Parra did the other night (thumping Canberra), that was one of the best club games I’ve seen this year, but when you have a look at Parra’s record when they travel north – Darwin earlier this year for example – well let’s just say it’s going to be nice and warm for them,” the Cowboys great told News Corp.
“Dylan Brown said the other day he hates the heat and when I read that I thought, ‘oh no, you won’t like it here’.”
North Queensland has never hosted an NRL prelim and the hottest ticket in town will be among the diehard faithful at Queensland Country Bank Stadium on Friday night.
The Cowboys have not reached this stage of the season since 2017 and Spina said the state’s parochial north is a significantly different place when its team is up and about.
“How many kilometres people will travel sometimes just to go to normal club games (is crazy). People will sit in the car for six hours just to go to a club game. There are really passionate supporters up here,” Spina said.
“Outside of Townsville … places like Cairns, some travel from Mackay, the Burdekin, Ingham, out west it’s a big area and the country people up here are really good people and they make sure the vibe is pumping.
“The community is really behind them and North Queensland is abuzz this week, that’s for sure.”
And the home crowd will have a massive role to play in getting its side through to a premiership decider.
Spina said the onus was on the Cowboys to keep the Eels bogged down in the early stages and then let the energy of the Townsville crowd will them through to the end – just as the Parramatta fans did for their team against the Raiders.
“We saw Canberra make a few errors and that let Parra get on a roll. Once that happens, with their big forwards and backs they can take control,” Spina said.
American dream: Cowboys want to mimic NFL superpower
– Travis Meyn and Peter Badel
The Cowboys have hatched plans to become the Green Bay Packers of the NRL as North Queensland powerbrokers outlined why coach Todd Payten can deliver the club its second premiership.
In the lead-up to Friday night’s historic Townsville preliminary final, The Sunday Mail can reveal North Queensland’s blueprint to become a powerhouse of Australian sport.
The Cowboys have made a stunning resurgence in 2022, fighting back from a 15th-place finish last year to reach the final four in this season’s premiership race.
They will host Parramatta at Queensland Country Bank Stadium in the first grand final qualifier to be staged in Townsville since the club’s launch in 1995.
And this is just the beginning of North Queensland’s mission to become a consistent title contender and NRL superpower in the mould of NFL giant Green Bay.
“We are the North Queensland Cowboys,” chairman Lewis Ramsay said.
“We are based in Townsville but have season ticket holders in Cairns, Mackay, Ingham, Burdekin, Mt Isa and many other places. We have to draw support from the full population catchment.
“To say the community spirits rise and fall with the Cowboys’ successes and performances is a pretty accurate description.
“If we look at other sporting franchises around the world, the one we respect the most would be the Green Bay Packers.
“They are a community-owned team and have sold out their seasons for the last 30-40 years. The number of season ticket holders that transfer from year-to-year is in the single digits.
“It would be our aspiration, if we can maintain sustained success on the field, to do something like that over the next five to 10 years.
“With a new stadium in the city, and performances year-on-year, it’s our goal to sell out the season before it kicks off.”
THE PAYTEN FACTOR
After winning the 2015 NRL premiership, and playing in the 2017 grand final, the Cowboys crashed out of title contention and recorded four consecutive bottom four finishes from 2018-21.
Payten was handed the reins heading into the 2021 season, replacing title-winning coach Paul Green, and his first season was a disaster as the Cowboys limped to second-last spot on the ladder.
But the club had faith Payten was the man to turn around North Queensland — and they have been vindicated following this year’s remarkable resurrection.
Payten was so impressive in his pitch to coach the Cowboys that club legend Johnathan Thurston, a four-time Dally M Medal winner, declared he was the man to lead North Queensland’s revival.
“We had several coaches present and Todd gave great clarity about what he was about as a coach, what his vision was for the team and his analysis of the team at the time,” said former Cowboys board member and football chief Peter Parr.
“Todd gave us a great analysis of where the team was at the time and where he thought he needed to improve the Cowboys and where he could take them. He communicated his points brilliantly and delivered his information with a calmness that really impressed the committee.
“‘JT’ (Thurston) was on the panel and we were all impressed by Todd’s demeanour. It was a unanimous decision that Todd was the standout candidate.”
YOUNG GUNS THRIVING
Young guns like Reuben Cotter, Jeremiah Nanai and Tom Dearden have flourished under Payten’s coaching and he has made some astute signings in Chad Townsend and Peta Hiku.
The pieces of the premiership puzzle have come together at the Cowboys and Payten has played a leading role in that at a club he dreamt of coaching.
“I would say his passion and commitment to the club came through very early,” Ramsay said.
“He had opportunities with other clubs at that time but resisted those on a bit of a whim and hope — there were certainly no guarantees — that he’d be successful in his candidacy for our head coach role. That stood for something.
“The way he applied himself to the interview process was impressive. We set some tasks and challenges all the coaches had to answer.
“The caliber of applicants was very strong but Todd showed a slightly higher level of understanding and awareness for the game. He had the vision around strategy.
KINGS OF THE NORTH
The Cowboys are one of the more unique clubs in the NRL.
While they are based in Townsville, the club’s footprint spans far and wide, thousands of kilometres across the greater north Queensland region.
They have never been flush with cash and unlike many Sydney franchises, the Cowboys don’t receive funding from their branded leagues club.
But the past few years have been fruitful off the field for North Queensland.
The club now calls the impressive $40 million Hutchinson Builders Centre home and last year started playing out of Queensland’s newest stadium, which cost $293 million.
The bedrock for sustained success is there and the Cowboys want to ensure they capitalise on the club’s strongest ever position by becoming a consistent force on the field.
“Covid really caused us to stop and look inwardly around the ways we spent money, it taught us a few things about being frugal and where to tighten our belt,” Ramsay said.
“We are in a good position because of the hard work of others over many years. I have to pay tribute to my predecessor Laurence Lancini for over many years setting the club up, lobbying for the stadium and early concepts around the high performance centre.
“We are in a really good position and credit needs to go to Peter V’landys and Andrew Abdo at the NRL. They’ve been able to deliver higher-level grants to the clubs.
“We are starting to pay off assets now. The Hutchinson Builders Centre has a sizeable debt on it, but each year we’re paying principal and interest down. In 20 years’ time we’ll own that building.
“We’ve never been in that position before. The plan is to own that and some other investments as well, but we are fairly early in that journey.
Addo-Carr sweats on NRL future after two-hour grilling
Josh Addo-Carr’s future at the Bulldogs is now at the crossroads, after he was subjected to a marathon two-hour grilling as he faced up to the NRL integrity unit at League Central.
Sport Con: Allianz flood disaster that threatened finals double header
Allianz Stadium resembled a swamp last month, but the comeback from a flooding disaster is complete ahead of this weekend’s finals double header. See the full SPORT CONFIDENTIAL.