WHAT SEALED NEW TWO-YEAR DEAL WITH COWBOYS FOR HAMPTON

Mareeba product inks a new two-year deal at the Cowboys

THE Cowboys believe Ben Hampton’s team-first attitude can help the club return to the finals next year after the utility signed a new two-year deal.

The Mareeba product will remain in Cowboys colours until at least the end of the 2021 NRL season.

Hampton has mostly played as a bench utility across his 56 games for the Cowboys, but the versatile talent has also started at hooker, five-eighth, fullback, centre, and most recently on the wing.

The 27-year-old was part of North Queensland’s fairytale run to the 2017 grand final after joining the club from the Storm, where he also played in the 2016 decider.

The Cowboys have lost more than 500 games of NRL experience for next season with the departures of forwards Matt Scott and Scott Bolton while another six players were not offered new deals.

Cowboys director of football Peter Parr said Hampton’s professionalism and experience made him an ideal leader for the club on and off the field.

“He’s got a team first orientation,” Parr said.

“He’s a guy that can play multiple positions which we feel is important to us.

“He’s very professional and diligent in his training and preparation and we think that he brings a lot of value off-field in educating our young players. He’s a bloke that’s played in two grand finals and plenty of big games.

“That big match experience is always important.

“We’ve lost a bit of experience over the last couple of years and so we thought keeping somebody like him, given his skill set, was valuable to us going forward.”