Paul Green re-signs as Cowboys coach until end of 2021

NORTH Queensland coach Paul Green says he’s “forever indebted to the Cowboys” after finalising a deal that will keep him at the club until 2021.

Cowboys coach Paul Green. PICTURE: STEWART McLEAN

THE Cowboys have denied there were any breakdowns around coach Paul Green’s contract negotiations, as the club confirmed today he has signed on for another three years.

Green will stay at North Queensland until 2021, after he finalised his new deal over the weekend.

There were concerns in recent weeks that the prolonged negotiations could force the Cowboys to look at other options, but chairman Laurence Lancini — who was the one to originally claim they may have to go elsewhere — said they were always confident that was never going to happen.

“The club is bigger than any individual,” Lancini said this morning.

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Paul Green has re-signed as coach of the Cowboys. Picture: Stewart McLean

“We have to make sure the club’s sustainability is in place.

“I urged Paul and his management that we need to resolve this agreement ... if it wasn’t resolved in the right fashion we would have to look at talking to someone else.

“I never endeavoured that would happen.

“There was never an ultimatum ... I don’t deal in ultimatums.

“Paul has a manager and I’ve been dealing with his manager ... Like any individual, they need to do the best for their client.

“The process has gone on longer than I would have liked it to go on but there has always been a great relationship and understanding.”

Cowboys coach Paul Green will stay at North Queensland until 2021. Picture: Zak Simmonds

Lancini said the club never looked at other options and spoke to no other coaches, while Green said no other teams officially approached him despite reported interest from the Broncos.

Green said the focus now was to turn around the team’s form, after the club fell to their fifth straight loss against the Bulldogs on Saturday.

“I’m really happy to have my future secured,” Green said.

“It was always my intention to stay.

“I’ll forever be indebted to the Cowboys. They were the club that gave me my first opportunity as a head coach.

“The last few years have been an incredible ride for everyone but the job isn’t finished yet.

“It’s something we can stop talking about and stop worrying about and focus on the team.”