NRL: Cairns junior Robert Derby set for first Cowboys start
Former Cairns junior Robert Derby will wear a Cowboys jersey for the first time in a game when the NRL club takes on NRL newcomers the Dolphins at Barlow Park next month.
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FORMER Cairns junior Robert Derby will wear a Cowboys jersey for the first time in a game when the Cowboys take on NRL newcomers the Dolphins in a trial match at Barlow Park next month.
The countdown to the Cowboys’ first game of the year is now less than a month, with North Queensland to take on the Dolphins in the Redcliffe-based club’s first ever outing.
And Derby will be in the thick of the action.
The winger enjoyed a meteoric rise in 2022, starting the year in the Cowboys’ Young Guns program before going on to cement his spot on the wing for the Pride.
His consistent performances led to his first international berth, with Derby lining up for Papua New Guinea in their mid-year test match win against Fiji.
Now, with another strong pre-season under his belt, Derby is on the cusp of an NRL debut, and he will have the prime opportunity to impress coach Todd Payten on home turf.
Cowboys CEO Jeff Reibel confirmed Derby’s selection in a visit to Cairns on Friday.
“It’ll be his first time in a Cowboys senior jersey,” Reibel said.
“This is a young fella who is ahead of where we all thought he would be from a development perspective.”
Derby played 16 games for the Pride in 2022, scoring seven tries and averaging 157 running metres as the Cairns club ended its Hostplus Cup finals drought.
Cowboys Head of Football Micheal Luck has been impressed with Derby’s work through the off-season.
With Rugby League World Cup stars like fellow Far North product Jeremiah Nanai and winger Murray Taulagi only just returning for pre-season, Derby has trained the house down as he puts himself in position to fight for a chance in the NRL.
Luck drew a comparison between Derby’s selection in the Barlow Park trial and that of Griffin Neame last year, with the winger a chance to emulate a firebrand regarded among the best young front-rowers in the competition.
Neame made a huge impression in the trial against Souths at Barlow Park in 2022, and went on to become a regular in Payten’s NRL team.
“This time last year was the first we saw of Griffin Neame in the trial against Souths, and he went on to have an exceptional year and solidified his place as one of the best young front rowers in the competition,” Luck said.
It may be the last time Derby plays for the “home” team in Cairns, with the 20-year-old set to suit up for the Blackhawks when not required by the Cowboys after changes to the NRL club’s feeder club agreements for 2023.
The Cowboys will send all contracted NRL players not selected in Payten’s top squad to the Blackhawks, who are based down the road from Cowboys HQ.
Reibel said it was to better enhance the potential success of the NRL club, with the obvious benefit to North Queensland being that all contracted players will play in the same system, alongside the same players, and better develop the on-field relationships which are crucial to success.
Mareeba product Ben Hampton is expected to lead the Cowboys out in the February 12 trial.
Nanai only just returned for preseason and will not feature in the trial, while fellow Cairns product Heilum Luki is still on his way back from a serious injury.
matthew.mcinerney1@news.com.au
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Originally published as NRL: Cairns junior Robert Derby set for first Cowboys start
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