Hampton’s halves vow
AS the mercury rises in North Queensland this summer, the only thing hotter will be the battle on field for a Cowboys halves position.
While many expect Chad Townsend to walk into a starting role at North Queensland, it appears the marquee recruit might have a fight on his hands from one of the club’s unsung heroes.
Versatile back Ben Hampton is adamant he wants one final crack in the Cowboys halves after he was robbed of a long stint there by injury this season. Hampton was one of the Cowboys most consistent through their mid-season run of success in 2021, before he was ruled off the field for the better part of three months with a pectoral injury. He returned to the field late in the season, and finished the year in the centres, but has made his intentions of returning to the middle of the field clear.
Hampton signed a one-year contract extension mid-season, and, at 29, the Mareeba product is adamant he still has something left to give.
“I haven’t had the best run with injuries the last couple of years … A couple of pretty much season-ending injuries, I had one two years ago, and I missed about 12 or 15 weeks with another injury this year,” he said. “It is something I don’t really think about. I have a preseason to get through, we have good people and good coaches around the club. I am sure it will be good next year.
“I have another year to go (on my deal), I am not finished yet. We will go again next year.
“I still want to have one last crack in the halves there somewhere. We will see how I go, but like I have always said I will play where the team needs me to play.”
Hampton was last week voted the Cowboys Clubperson of the Year, the second time in three years he has won the award. Coincidentally it was both years that the utility faced almost season-ending injuries that he picked up the gong.
It has a lot to do with the maturity and leadership he showed off the field while in the rehabilitation unit, picking up the talk and direction for the club’s five debutants.
“I think (my talk is important), I don’t think I was (a big talker) on the field when I first started,” he said.
“Growing up I was just a quiet North Queensland boy. As I grew up and the players I played around, I realised talking helps you out, it helps the team out. (My voice) grew as I matured into an older player.”
While he admitted it was a tough year for the club, with their second-last finish the club’s worst in more than a decade, Hampton believed they were on the right track.
“We had Toddy and a few of
the coaches come in as well (this season), and they have been really positive for the club,” he said. “It hasn’t been the year the club wanted it to be, but they are leading us in the right direction.”