NRL 2021: Jason Taumalolo speaks about his rise to the co-captaincy of the North Queensland Cowboys

Jason Taumalolo was once caught throwing eggs at cars, now he is a co-captain of the North Queensland Cowboys and ready to tackle a new role.

Dally M champion Jason Taumalolo has spoken about his rise from egging cars to becoming a co-captain of the North Queensland Cowboys.

Taumalolo will lead the Cowboys in the 2021 NRL season alongside former sole skipper Michael Morgan.

The Tongan powerhouse was elevated to the role by new coach Todd Payten, who saw leadership qualities in Taumalolo that can propel the Cowboys out of the NRL’s cellar.

Despite being in the NRL for 10 years, Taumalolo has long been seen as somewhat of a big kid with his infectious smile and quiet demeanour.

But at 27, the time has come for him to take on more responsibility and the 196-game Cowboys stalwart believes he is ready.

Jason Taumalolo was the Cowboys Player of the Year and Paul Bowman medallist in 2020. Picture: Alix Sweeney

“It came as a bit of a surprise, I didn’t expect the role, it caught me off-guard,” Taumalolo told The Sunday Mail.

“There’s still a lot of things I need to work on being a leader and captain, but Toddy thought I could influence the team in different ways.

“It was a wake-up moment for myself. I had to realise I have grown up and become an old head.

“I came through the club at a young age and watched guys like Johnathan Thurston and Matt Scott.

“Now they’re gone there’s guys like me, Michael Morgan and Kyle Feldt. We are the last of the old guard. It’s crazy how the years have gone by.”

Michael Morgan and Jason Taumalolo will co-captain the Cowboys in 2021. Picture: Cowboys Media

Taumalolo made his NRL debut in 2010 as a 17-year-old and is now gearing up for his 12th season. His record 10-year Cowboys contract expires in 2027 so he could potentially have a long stint in the captaincy.

He has held claims to being the competition’s best player at times throughout his career and in 2016 collected the Dally M Medal along with Melbourne’s Cooper Cronk.

But that was also a season where Taumalolo’s immaturity was laid bare after he was caught on the eve of the finals throwing eggs at cars in Townsville with teammates.

Jason Taumalolo was one of five Cowboys players charged by police for throwing eggs. Pictures: Jack Tran

Taumalolo shakes his head at some of the things he did as a youngster, but is adamant he is now a different person and ready for the responsibility of captaining an NRL club.

“I had a couple of head-scratching moments,” he said with a laugh.

“A lot of memories have been great. Others I want to kick myself for what I did.

“I like to think I’ve come a long way. Every now and then I go back to being a little kid, but a lot has changed over the years

“I’m now watching these kids come through. I know what I went through so I can help out these young guys to develop themselves as players.

“Now it’s about helping out others to become the best players they can be. If I’m doing that then I’m helping the team get better. Hopefully that leads to better performances on the weekend.”

Jason Taumalolo of the Cowboys is tackled during a North Queensland Cowboys Scrimmage against the Townsville Blackhawks. Picture: Ian Hitchcock/Getty Images

The captaincy isn’t the only big change for Taumalolo heading into the 2021 season.

After averaging 62 minutes per game over the past two seasons, Payten is looking to reduce Taumalolo’s time on the field to improve his impact.

The Cowboys are coming off their third straight bottom four finish, which led to the sacking of premiership-winning coach Paul Green, and Taumalolo hopes his role change can spark the team.

“We have to change a lot, especially with the way the game has changed,” he said.

“We didn’t really adapt to the way it changed with the new rules. That’s something we really struggled with over the last year. The way we attack hasn’t really changed.

“The last few years we haven’t been up to scratch defensively. We’ve leaked a lot of points.

Taumalolo will have a change of role in 2021. Picture: Alix Sweeney.

“Toddy has come in with fresh ideas about the way he wants to play. It’s been really good. It’s kind of refreshing.

“I’m happy to be playing less minutes. It gives the young guys more responsibility when they’re on the field.

“I have to go a bit harder than normal and not try to preserve myself. If I can do that and the younger guys can hold their own, then that’s a great thing for us.”

Taumalolo is expected to make his first playing appearance of the year when the Cowboys face Brisbane in a trial at Redcliffe next Saturday night.

Originally published as NRL 2021: Jason Taumalolo speaks about his rise to the co-captaincy of the North Queensland Cowboys