Cowboys legend Aaron Payne relieved of duties with Blackhawks

Cowboys legend Aaron Payne has been relieved immediately of his duties as head coach of the Townsville Blackhawks after five seasons.

Blackhawks coach Aaron Payne has left the team immediately.

Cowboys legend Aaron Payne’s contract as coach of the Townsville Blackhawks has been terminated immdiately.

Payne was summoned to a meeting of the Blackhawks sub-committee on Thursday and informed the club intended to move in a new direction in 2024.

Although the team sits one win outside the top eight with a month remaining in the Hostplus Cup, key officials were disappointed the Blackhawks had not shown major improvement from a 2022 campaign that also missed the top eight.

Blackhawks chairman Glenn Carroll said Payne offered his resignation at season’s end but was terminated immediately, 48 hours before a Saturday clash with Mackay Cutters.

The club said in a Friday statement that the decision had been mutual, citing Payne’s frustration with the loss of control over the flagship Queensland Cup side to the Cowboys.

“Aaron, management and the Board met recently and it was mutually agreed that it is the right time for both parties to embark on new journeys,” the statement read.

Brothers CEO Justin Wilkins pictured with Aaron Payne earlier in 2023.

“His passion for the game and commitment during his time with the club has been exceptional, pushing through some challenging times and this season in particular where the frustration of not being in full control of our Hostplus side due to this season’s agreement with the North Queensland Cowboys where he has not had full control over the team and playing style has been remarkable.”

Carroll later clarified that the decision to release Payne had no relation to the club’s feeder arrangement with the Cowboys.

“We would like to apologise to the North Queensland Cowboys for any negative implications our media release has generated. The decision to release Aaron Payne had nothing to do with our arrangement with the Cowboys,” Carroll wrote.

“Moving forward we hope to receive the same support and assistance the Cowboys have provided to us since our inception into the Hostplus Cup in 2015.

“Both Aaron and the Blackhawks sub-committee met earlier this week as our results over the last few years have not met expectations.

North Queensland Cowboys vs Townsville Blackhawks scrimmage game at the Rugby Park, Ayr. Coach Aaron Payne . Picture: Alix Sweeney.

“Aaron and our Sub-committee had different ideas in our direction moving forward.

“Therefore Aaron decided to resign at the end of the season - however as Chairman of the Blackhawks I made the decision to terminate his contract immediately.

“We appreciate Aaron’s effort over the last 5 years and wish him well in any future endeavours.”

Payne took over as coach in 2019, having retired from a 219-game NRL career with North Queensland in 2012.

He led the Blackhawks to 41 wins from 72 games (57 per cent) and two of a possible three finals appearances during his tenure.

“Aaron has been an integral part of the Blackhawks family going on 5 years, and during this time, has made a profound impact on our players, staff, and supporters,” wrote Blackhawks football operations manager Adrian Thompson.

“We understand that the news might be tough for our staff, players and followers but hope they understand and continue supporting the club as we embark on a new chapter under different coaching leadership.

“The search for a new Head Coach will begin immediately and we are committed to finding the best-suited individual who can build on the strong foundation maintained by Aaron that was established by our inaugural coach in 2015 Kristian Woolf and lead our team to our goal of winning the Hostplus Cup and being a breeding ground for young football talent in the region.”

Assistant coach Christian Quabba will lead the team on an interim basis with former Cowboy Michael Morgan.

Originally published as Cowboys legend Aaron Payne relieved of duties with Blackhawks