On the back of a spectacular season that saw them finish in the top four, the North Queensland Cowboys have re-signed coach Todd Payten.
With his original deal expiring at the end of 2023, Patten’s new deal will run until the end of 2026.
Since rejoining as head coach prior to 2021, Payten has made the side his own and has them playing an exciting, attractive brand of footy.
The Cowboys had a long term vision in mind for their coaching ranks and view Payten as the man to lead them forward.
“When we appointed Todd, we were looking to create stability and continuity for our club and a young and emerging playing group,” Cowboys Chairman Lewis Ramsay.
“Our board was confident we were hiring the right coach to lead us into the future and he has exceeded our expectations.“
For Payten, North Queensland is like a home to him and when push came to shove, there was nowhere else he would rather be.
“North Queensland is our home,” Payten said.
“The first 12 months were lean in terms of results, but we are starting to see the rewards of some decisions we made during that 2021 season around blooding young players and coupled with the elite talent we have in our squad, I am confident we are heading into a truly exciting time at this club.
“I always had an ambition to come back to this club and I have no desire to be anywhere else.”