LOWE PASSED UP DEAL
PROMISING back-rower Ethan Lowe has revealed how a heart-to-heart with coach Paul Green stopped him quitting the Cowboys to defect to the Titans.
When Lowe runs out to face the Titans tonight in Townsville, it will trigger memories of the tug of war the Gold Coast and North Queensland waged for his signature earlier this season.
In May, the Titans launched a furtive poaching bid for Lowe, tabling a lucrative three-year deal. Off-contract at the time and with no guarantees from the Cowboys, Lowe was ready to accept the financial carrot.
Privately, the Titans’ recruitment arm believed they had their man, with Lowe considered a key backrow plank in the Coast’s rebuilding phase.
But with Lowe poised to ink a deal with the Titans, Green pounced at the 11th hour, spruiking his Cowboys vision and the 24-year-old’s role in his masterplan.
Within days of the meeting, Lowe went cold on the Titans’ overtures, signing a one-year extension with the Cowboys.
While the Titans’ offer was vastly superior, Green helped Lowe see the bigger picture – that money could not buy happiness and premiership success.
“I had a chat to the Titans,” Lowe said.
“I was really interested but then I sat down with Greeny and weighed up a few things.
“There were a few sides interested, but I think at this stage of my career, it’s best for my football to be in Townsville.
“I felt with the roster we’ve got here and the future we’ve got here, this is the best place for me to improve as a footballer.”