Speedster locked away
IN a major boost for the Cowboys’ future, Queensland flyer Hamiso Tabuai-fidow has inked a one-year contract extension at the club, keeping him there until the end of 2023.
But club insiders believe it will not stop there.
The Cowboys had been locked in negotiations with Tabuai-fidow and his manager Nash Dawson for several months before the extension was agreed to.
Part of those discussions included hashing out a future plan for the young superstar which included keeping him in
a Cowboys jersey long-term.
“We are mapping out now with Hammer and his manager what an ideal career path looks for him,” Cowboys head of football Micheal Luck said.
“He wants to be a ‘best in game’ quality NRL fullback. This deal gives him the opportunity to not have those distractions around contract negotiations hanging over him. It also allows our coaching staff to get in and help him achieve what he wants to in the game.
“This was always about what was best for his future.”
The extension will be a shot in the arm for Cowboys fans after a disappointing season in which the club finished 15th.
The deal is understood to be a significant increase in coin and will have the fullback on around $400,000 a year.
It has also helped the Cowboys stave off any potential poaching raids for the Queensland representative who was able to field offers from rival clubs from November 1.
Tabuai-fidow was expected to be one of the top targets for the successful Queensland expansion bid for when they entered the competition in 2023.
But that has now been scuppered with the Cairns product to remain at his boyhood club.
Tabuai-fidow exploded on to the scene at the 2020 NRL Nines and made his debut as an 18-year-old excitement machine later that year.
In 2021 he solidified his position as one of the competition’s most exciting young talents with eight tries in 14 games and also made his State of Origin debut in the centres for Queensland, scoring in their game three win against NSW.
“Hamiso is a born and bred North Queenslander and we envisage him being at our club for a long time,” Luck said.
“We want to lock down our best talent, in particular the fact he is a North Queensland junior and that the club was set up to provide a pathway for those guys to play in the NRL.
“We are thrilled he has decided to extend his contract. He is a teriffic kid with a wonderful temperament and he has never put a foot wrong since he wore the Cowboys colours.
“The thing I like about him is he understands the impact he can make in the community at a young age. You can’t have enough of those guys.”
It is not the final move of the off-season for the Cowboys, with the club aiming to lock down several other exciting talents who are coming off contract next season.
Luck said the club was also keeping a close eye on potential movements in the player market over the summer as they continue to target an experienced middle forward to join the ranks.