You could say that he feels at home in the area, and it shows, with Cowboys under-rated second-rower Gavin Cooper, agreeing to a new 2-year contract extension – one that will see remain with the club until the end of the 2014 NRL season.
At 26, Cooper made his debut for the Cowboys back in 2006, before playing for the Titans and the Panthers, both in 2-year stints.
It was last season, in 2011, that Cooper returned to Townsville, and he hopes that with the signing of this new contract, that it will not be the last one he signs with the club.
“I have travelled around a bit I guess, but I feel right at home here at the Cowboys,†Cooper said.
“This new contract will make it four years this time around and hopefully we might be able to add a little extension to the end of it.
“We’ve got a great group of players here this year, and signed up for the next few years, and I’m really happy that I’m going to be part of what happens here.â€
Peter Parr, the Cowboys General Manager of Football, said that Cooper has turned into a solid back-rower for the club, and that the club is pleased to have kept him in their ranks.
“You can see the development that has occurred with Gavin as a player. He’s now a starting second-rower at a club that we believe has very good forward depth,†Parr said.
“In addition, he was our Clubman of the Year last year which shows his attributes are not just restricted to his ability to play the game.
“He’s a contributor to the Cowboys on many levels and a real asset to this club.â€