Cowboys recruit Tom Dearden reveals what brought him to North Queensland what he wants to deliver

Cowboys recruit Tom Dearden has declared his intention to steer the club back to premiership success and reach his full potential after defecting from the Broncos.

TOM Dearden has come ‘home’ with a desire to bring premiership glory back to the Cowboys.

In his first interview as a Cowboy, the 20-year-old has revealed the reason behind his mid-season move to North Queensland and his belief that he can realise his potential in the NRL.

Life as a Cowboy got off on the wrong foot for Dearden last week as the side capitulated to a 50-18 loss to Manly.

But that has already been put to the back of his memory as the halfback prepares for his first game in front of the passionate North Queensland faithful on Friday night.

It will be Dearden’s first time running out onto the field at Queensland Country Bank Stadium, but a moment he has dreamt about from his days as a kid in the crowd at the old Dairy Farmers Stadium.

Tom Dearden during a Cowboys training session at the club's high performance facility at the Hutchison Builders Centre. Picture: Cowboys Media

When Johnathan Thurston and Michael Morgan combined to deliver the club’s its first and only premiership in 2015, Dearden was a 14-year-old Mackay schoolkid who watched every minute of it.

“I was a massive fan of the Cowboys growing up. It was always my dream to play NRL, but to play it at the club I loved as a kid is pretty special,” Dearden said.

“I don’t have any family in Townsville but being here, it does feel like home.”

The Cowboys rolled out the heavy artillery in their pursuit of Dearden, with club legend Thurston meeting the young playmaker along with Todd Payten earlier this year.

But it was the straight-shooting from the Cowboys coach that convinced the halfback to make the move from the Broncos to North Queensland.

He signed a three-year deal for next season, but that move was executed earlier than expected with Brisbane releasing the halfback to the Cowboys after the departure of Jake Clifford.

“I thought it was a good opportunity for me and after speaking to Todd, it was something that I was really looking forward to,” Dearden said.

“The way he coaches is something that I really liked. It was something I wanted, to come and learn off him. The coaching staff have a clear plan for me and it is a club I want to be part of.

Tom Dearden during a Cowboys training session at the club's high performance facility at the Hutchison Builders Centre. Picture: Cowboys Media

“They also have Chad (Townsend) coming next year. There is the opportunity to come up and learn off him. He is a professional halfback who has done a lot in the game over a number of years, there is a lot I can pick up off him.

“There is a lot of experience all around the club, they have some really good mentors here.”

Pressure and expectation has almost become second nature for the young halfback.

He captained Palm Beach Currumbin to national schoolboys glory in 2018, was elevated to the Queensland Cup where he starred on debut for Wynnum-Manly Seagulls the following year before being thrown in the deep end at NRL level with the Broncos in 2019.

It was a meteoric rise, but one that has come with plenty of speed bumps on the way.

He played 22 games at the Broncos over the past three seasons and was part of a halves merry-go-round this year, as the club struggled to find consistency and form in the NRL.

Tom Dearden of the Broncos looks to pass during the round six NRL match between the Brisbane Broncos and the Penrith Panthers at Suncorp Stadium. (Photo by Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images)

The young halfback knows he has not reached his full potential in the NRL, and declared the Cowboys is the club where he can do it.

He is also determined to emulate his hero Thurston, and deliver glory back to the North Queensland faithful.

“I haven’t been playing the best level I can get to,” he said. “I am only young and I am working really hard on improving my game. The more NRL games I play, the better I will become at this level.

“That is a big reason I came to (the Cowboys), I think I have got a bit opportunity to become better. It is somewhere I can really develop my game.

“I want to be part of success at this club. I signed here because I want to be here long term. I have got some long term ambitions of winning premierships and being in a successful team.

“But that is the future. I am focusing on what I have to do this year and what I can do the next few weeks to help the club bounce back (after the loss to Manly). I just want to have a good year and finish the year off for the Cowboys, we are playing some good footy.”

Originally published as Cowboys recruit Tom Dearden reveals what brought him to North Queensland what he wants to deliver