Laybutt returns to Cowboys as potential call-up looms
BLACKHAWKS halfback Kyle Laybutt has been training full time with the Cowboys for the past month as the playmaker eyes off an unlikely second chance at an NRL career.
Laybutt, who spent the preseason training with the Cowboys, was called back into training by coach Todd Payten after Michael Morgan was medically retired last month.
It was a chance for the Cowboys to bolster the numbers in their opposed sessions, but has also opened the door for the Papua New Guinea national to make his return to the top flight almost four years to the day since his last game in the NRL.
Laybutt played two games for the Cowboys in 2017 but was eventually dropped by the club in 2018.
As of next week, players outside the Cowboys top-30 squad can be called up to play in the NRL following a rule change in the off-season.
While the Cowboys are expected to look at the exciting young talent in their development list first, there is an option to bring in an experienced player out of the Queensland Cup.
Laybutt has firmed as that option with the halfback signed to a train and replacement deal.
The Cowboys are facing a crisis in the halves with Morgan retired and Ben Hampton facing an extended period on the sidelines with a pectoral injury.
Jake Clifford was called back into the first grade squad for the win over the Broncos last weekend but there is a lack of depth behind the young playmaker.
Cowboys head of football Micheal Luck would not be drawn on the prospect of Laybutt making a return, but believed the rejig to the eligibility rules was only a positive for NRL clubs.
“It is concrete proof that the pathway is there and it is working,” Luck said.
“Guys come out of the under 20s and go to the Queensland Cup and now have the potential to play NRL in the back end of the year if they can earn it.
“It is great that there is an avenue for guys that don’t have NRL contracts. Under the old system if they weren’t signed to an NRL contract, they were not able to play.”