TAMOU KEEN TO FINISH BACK IN NQ
JAMES Tamou believes he isn’t finished in the NRL as the 305-game veteran closes in on a fairytale return to North Queensland.
Tamou is set to ink a one-year contract with the Cowboys to finish his career at the club he won the 2015 NRL premiership with.
At 33, Tamou was expected to ride off into retirement or the Super League after finishing his 14th NRL season with the Wests Tigers this year.
But he is now set to shelve those plans and chase an NRL premiership swan song with the Cowboys in 2023.
After reaching the final four of this year’s title race, the Cowboys have been installed as $13 premiership hopes with TAB for 2023 and are expected to challenge for the title.
Apart from Dolphins-bound Tom Gilbert, they have retained the bulk of their squad.
After coming through the Roosters’ under-20s, Tamou made his NRL debut for the Cowboys in 2009 and spent eight years in Townsville.
The former Kangaroos and NSW Origin prop helped the Cowboys clinch their first and only NRL title in 2015 before joining Penrith in 2017, where he spent four seasons before heading to Wests.
Tamou has held discussions with Cowboys coach Todd Payten about returning to the club to play a mentoring role and to hold the fort during the taxing State of Origin period. The Cowboys were the most improved team of 2022 – rising from 15th last year to the preliminary finals, where inexperience hurt them in a thrilling loss to Parramatta.
Tamou’s manager Sam Ayoub said the 170-game Cowboys great wasn’t ready to retire and wanted to finish his NRL career where it began.
“We’ve been in positive discussions and hopefully things have fallen into place,” he said.
“It’d be fantastic for Jimmy to finish at his long-term club where he won a grand final and still has lots of friends and close mates.
“Jimmy is a fitness freak and hard trainer. He leads by example.”
Cowboys football chief Micheal Luck said there was still “a lot of water to go under the bridge” before a deal with Tamou would be reached.
Tamou opted to sit out of the NRL’s retiring players’ parade on grand final day.