Cowboys kick on as another talent lost

THE changing of the guard has continued at the Cowboys after long-term recruitment manager Clint Zammit walked out on Friday to take up an opportunity at Newcastle.

The Knights announced the appointment on Saturday, with Zammit joining recruitment chief Alex Mckinnon.

Zammit has been held in high esteem across the NRL for several years, having discovered some of the game’s most exciting talents.

He famously inked a rookie contract with a 13-year-old Jason Taumalolo in the back of a Townsville pizza shop, and also played a part in discovering superstars Kalyn Ponga and Viliame Kikau. Any of the Cowboys’ exciting juniors to have come through the ranks in recent years have had Zammit’s fingerprints all over their acquisition.

His departure after seven years with the club is the second high-profile exit after head coach Paul Green opted to depart midway through the 2020 season.

But the Cowboys have moved to begin the replacement process for Green after a board meeting on Friday.

The club has begun to pore over the formal and informal applications that have come through, and will approach several targets in the next week to consolidate a list of potential candidates. That list is expected to be finalised by the end of this week.

A recruitment panel which includes chairman Lewis

Ramsay, CEO Jeff Reibel and director of football Peter Parr will then narrow those candidates down to a single-figure shortlist before the interview process starts.

It is understood the Cowboys could hold up to two rounds of interviews, much like what they did when hiring Green at the end of 2013.

The club will aim to have a head coach in place by the end of September or early October ahead of the 2021 pre-season starting in November.

“We are after the best person for the job,” Ramsay said.

“It is a critical appointment for us, so we are throwing the net as far and wide as we can.

“I think that our club, being community owned and so integrated into the fabric of North Queensland, it is really important for us that the successful candidate needs to understand the region and respect the environment we live in and the people in it.”

It is understood the club has received close to 15 applications, both formal and informal, for the head coaching role, which has also generated interest from overseas.

“We have been really enthused and impressed by the level of interest in the role,” Ramsay said.

“It is a signal that those in the rugby league community further abroad see North Queensland as a really sound club with a lot going for it.”

As for a replacement for Zammit, the chairman admitted his departure was still raw and any process to replace him would begin in coming weeks.