TOWNSEND WON’T BE TIED DOWN

CHAD Townsend has been given a license to roam by the Cowboys in a bid to sharpen the attack that languished in the competition’s bottom four last year.

Only Canterbury, Brisbane and New Zealand scored fewer points than the Cowboys in 2021 but Townsend has a plan to transform the Cowboys into an attacking force.

The best halves in the game refuse to be tied to one edge and North Queensland’s new co-captain won’t be either.

“I’ve never liked to be stuck on one side,” Townsend said.

“My role is going to be pretty much to go everywhere. I really enjoy floating and for me, I felt like I’ve played my best when I’ve been able to just go wherever I’ve wanted.

“That’s something we’ve been training on throughout the off-season and with the coaches to implement with the way we attack.

“I feel that plays into my strength and the coaches have been really open to doing that as well.”

The Cowboys allowed Scott Drinkwater freedom to explore the field last season after the retirement of Michael Morgan with five tries and a further 22 try assists the result, according to Fox Sports Lab statistics.

Drinkwater will have 40 minutes against the Broncos in Saturday’s trial to show why he is the man to partner Townsend in the halves.

Demonstrating his chemistry with Townsend in the heat of battle will be just as critical as his individual performance, with former Bronco Tom Dearden also in contention to win the No.6 jersey in Mackay.

The 31-year-old No.7 admitted choosing between Drinkwater and

Mackay local Dearden was going to be a difficult decision for coaches.

Townsend expressed his faith that both candidates could do the job and that their competition for the position would sharpen the Cowboys.

“We’ve all done reps to get together and I’ve been really enjoying both those boys,” he said.

“People want to read into it and say ‘it’s this person against that person’ but at the end of the day we’re teammates, we strive to be the best we can and we know that there’s got to be a difficult decision.

“The boys have different strengths with the way they play so it’s a good headache for the coaches to have.”

In 24 starts last season, including two at fullback, Drinkwater ran for 53m per game while Dearden averaged 58m with ball in hand over 16 starts in the halves.

Drinkwater kicked eight times for 218 kick metres per game, while Dearden kicked five times for 170m.

Drinkwater’s 27 try involvements dwarfs Dearden’s nine, though the former Bronco scored seven tries to Drinkwater’s five.

Dearden completed 83 per cent of tackles to Drinkwater’s 75 per cent.