Alex Elisala

It is the kind of news that no NRL fan wants to hear but the North Queensland Cowboys were dealt the tough task of having to confirm that Alex Elisala, a club squad member, passed away earlier today at Mackay Hospital, aged just 20.

It was only this year that Elisala became a full-time member of the Cowboys squad and he made his first international appearance for Samoa very recently also .

Coming through the Cowboys ranks, he played in a total of 69 games for the club in the Holden Cup competition – the second most by any Cowboy – and also represented Queensland in the inaugural U20’s State of Origin match.

The club are distressed by the news of Elisala’s passing, remembering him as a talented player, a well-liked player and someone who will be missed.

“This is an extremely sad time for our club, particularly for our players who trained and played alongside Alex in both our NYC and NRL teams,” Cowboys CEO Peter Jourdain said.

“Alex joined our club four years ago, had a distinguished career in our NYC squad and was already excelling in his first year as a full-time member of the NRL squad.

“He was undoubtedly one of the brightest young talents at the Cowboys.

“Alex was extremely well liked by everyone at the club and his jovial but dedicated presence in and away from football will be deeply missed by all.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with Alex’s family and his friends.

“Our players and staff have met this morning to support each other and with the help of the NRL, we have begun to provide professional counselling as they try to come to terms with Alex’s passing.

“We request everyone to respect the sensitive nature of this situation and the privacy of all concerned.”

By ricky

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