NRL 2021: North Queensland Cowboys’ warning for Jason Taumalolo over Covid vaccine

North Queensland have given a brutally honest scenario in writing to skipper Jason Taumalolo, warning his vaccination hesitancy could cost him his $10 million contract.

The Cowboys insist Jason Taumalolo will be cleared to play this year after the Dally M star was issued a letter warning his $10 million contract could be in jeopardy due to his Covid vaccination hesitancy.

The Courier-Mail can reveal the Taumalolo vaccination saga has gone up a gear after the Cowboys delivered a brutally honest scenario in writing to their club captain.

Taumalolo – North Queensland’s best player and a Dally M Medal winner – was the only Cowboy to have not agreed to receive a Covid vaccine when the club kicked off pre-season training in November.

While the NRL has not mandated vaccines and Taumalolo was free to train, unvaccinated people are currently banned from entering Stadiums Queensland venues and other grounds around the country.

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North Queensland wouldn’t confirm whether Taumalolo had agreed to be vaccinated (Photo by Ian Hitchcock/Getty Images.

Taumalolo has not been at Cowboys training recently due to Covid isolation protocols and the club would not confirm whether he was among the 10-plus North Queensland players to have tested positive.

While unvaccinated players are free to train, the Cowboys faced the prospect of losing their most damaging player for the majority of NRL games if he remained unvaccinated.

That prompted the club to write a letter to Taumalolo outlining the possible repercussions of his vaccination stance after weeks of inaction.

Taumalolo, 28, still has six years to run on his famous $10 million, 10-year contract with the Cowboys until 2027.

The 2022 NRL season kicks off in two months and there is about a six-week window between receiving a first dose of a vaccine and maximum protection.

The Cowboys would not confirm whether Taumalolo had agreed to be vaccinated, citing confidentiality reasons, but head of football Michael Luck said the club was not concerned about losing their best player this year.

Current Covid restrictions mean the Cowboys could be missing Jason Taumalolo for games in 2022. Picture: Evan Morgan

“We have not commented on individuals and I’m not about to start doing so,” Luck said.

“From a club perspective, we are not worried at all about Jase not playing footy.”

If Taumalolo has agreed to be vaccinated, it is a massive boost for the Cowboys after the club finished second-last in 2021.

The Cowboys have recorded four consecutive bottom four finishes and pressure is mounting on coach Todd Payten to make the club an NRL premiership force again as he heads into his second season in charge.

Payten and Taumalolo have had a turbulent relationship but there is no doubt the bulldozing forward is a key part of North Queensland’s fortunes in 2022.

Former Cowboys forward John Asiata, one of Taumalolo’s close friends, opted to quit his NRL contract at Canterbury and take up an option in the English Super League due to his hesitancy to receive a Covid vaccination.

Originally published as NRL 2021: North Queensland Cowboys’ warning for Jason Taumalolo over Covid vaccine