NRL 2023: Paul McGregor pulls pin on mooted North Queensland Cowboys move
Cowboys mentor Todd Payten is back in the market for a new assistant after a former NRL head coach and leading candidate for the role pulled the pin.
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Cowboys coach Todd Payten is back in the market for a new assistant after talks with NSW Origin legend Paul McGregor collapsed at the eleventh hour.
This masthead can reveal McGregor’s mooted signing with the Cowboys has fallen through with the former Dragons coach pulling the pin on a move to Townsville.
McGregor was linked to a Cowboys assistant’s role last month following the departures of Steve Georgallis and Dean Young, the latter of whom has returned to the Dragons to work under new coach Shane Flanagan.
McGregor has been in dialogue with Cowboys hierarchy and his move to the tropics seemed a fait accompli last week when he flew to Townsville for formal talks with Payten.
That meeting was expected to rubber-stamp a contract with the Cowboys, but McGregor has since informed Payten that he won’t be at North Queensland next season, citing family reasons.
The former Test centre shaped as the final piece in Payten’s coaching puzzle for 2024, with the Cowboys coach having already secured highly-regarded Justin Morgan, who was an assistant to rookie Warriors mentor Andrew Webster this season.
Payten is now on the hunt for another assistant as the Cowboys look to hit back as a finals force next season after their disappointing 11th-placed finish this year.
McGregor would have been a handy ally for Payten. The 55-year-old is vastly experienced, having coached seven seasons at the Dragons between 2014-20 before joining the NSW Origin side as an assistant to Brad Fittler.
McGregor, who also served as a consultant to the Parramatta Eels last year, severed ties with the Blues last month, shortly before Fittler’s resignation as NSW coach.
The 158-game Illawarra and Dragons great was linked with the Newcastle top job earlier this season - that ended when the Knights charged to the finals under Adam O’Brien - and McGregor hasn’t given up hope of returning as an NRL head coach.
“I always wanted to coach again if it was the right place to go,” McGregor told 4BC radio in June.
“That’s hard when there’s not many opportunities to coach in the NRL and usually when they do come, it’s the bottom four or six sides.
“But if an opportunity did come up, I would look at it.
While McGregor has ruled out heading north, Cowboys chief executive Jeff Reibel said Morgan is committed to joining forces with Payten next year.
“We are thrilled to have someone of Justin’s temperament, experience and reputation to assist Todd,” Reibel said.
“We are looking forward to welcoming him to North Queensland and our club.”
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Originally published as NRL 2023: Paul McGregor pulls pin on mooted North Queensland Cowboys move
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