7th Tackle: How the Cowboys hold on to so many stars
Fans of rival clubs are entitled to wonder how North Queensland can keep so many of their star players in Townsville – on top of signing Jordan McLean on a deal worth $800,000-a-season.
Jason Taumalolo shocked the league world when he inked the game’s richest – and longest – deal on Monday: $10 million over ten years.
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On top of that, co-captain Matt Scott knocked back big money from Newcastle to stay put for another two seasons, leaving Gavin Cooper as the last-remaining Cowboy to be roped-in.
We understand the secret is that North Queensland are actually around $500,000 under the salary cap this season, and have exploited that space to front load future contracts.
The club saved around $600,000 by not replacing James Tamou (Penrith) and another $150,000 when Ben Hannant hung up the boots over the summer.
Shaun Fensom was signed just before Round One to stiffen up the middle, but his contract for this season is being heavily subsidised by the Raiders.