Cowboys’ new era has begun
SOME clubs take a long, long time to recover from the retirement of an iconic playmaker.
Two immediately come to mind: Parramatta Eels and the Newcastle Knights.
For Parramatta, it took them well over a decade to start to be considered any sort of title contender after Peter Sterling called it quits.
Newcastle are still in the midst of the Andrew Johns hangover, with a high turnover of coaches and instability in terms of ownership.
The North Queensland Cowboys have had a few rough seasons but they are now showing signs that they have moved on from the Johnathan Thurston era and are ready to enter another successful period.
They’ve used a common formula: identify and nurture a group of talented youngsters and bring in some key signings to complement them.
On top of that, Todd Payten has shown strength of character to absorb criticism and stick to his vision for this club.