Cowboys make call on Payten's coaching future

After months of speculation, North Queensland have confirmed that Todd Payten will remain as coach until 2028.

With his contract expiring at the end of this season, the club’s coach of six seasons has been in the hot seat for most of the season.

After losing their first two games of the season, that pressure increased.

But having turned their form around, which sees the Cowboys in the mix for a finals spot, the club has renewed his deal for another two seasons.

In a statement, club chairman David Myles expressed his confidence in Payten as coach, noting the improvements made under his tenure.

“Successful organisations don't make short-sighted decisions, and as a Group we have taken the time to carefully assess the direction our club is heading,” he said.

“Over recent months, we have seen significant growth in both our football program and the leadership of Todd.

“While results are always important, our decision was based on much more than the ladder. We have seen clear improvement and alignment around standards, accountability, culture and the long-term direction of our club.

“The Board is confident Todd is the right person to lead our club into the future.”

Payten also expressed his delight in remaining in the role, believing the Cowboys can have success for the present and future.

“The depth of our squad has been tested this year,” he said.

“We have given NRL debuts to Liam Sutton and Xavier Kerrisk as well as club debuts to Reed Mahoney, Soni Luke, Matt Lodge, Ethan King and Wiremu Grieg.

“Jake Clifford, Thomas Mikaele, Braidon Burns, Heilum Luki and Soni Luke are playing what I believe is the best football of their careers.

“We also have an exciting group pushing up from underneath the NRL squad highlighted by results in the NRLQ and Mal Meninga Cup competitions.

“Our club is well-positioned for success this season and into the future.”

This will make Payten the longest tenured coach in the club's history.

During his reign, the Cows have made finals on two separate occasions in 2022 and 2024.

North Queensland will take to the field on Sunday against the Warriors in their first match at One NZ Stadium in Christchurch.

Kick-off takes place at 2pm AEST, with SEN League having live coverage of the match from 12pm with Crunch Time NRL.