Cowboys to farewell nine departing players
The North Queensland Toyota Cowboys will farewell nine players at Wednesday’s Presentation Night at the Townsville Entertainment and Convention Centre.
Retiring Cowboys premiership winner James Tamou headlines the group, which also includes Mitch Dunn, Ben Hampton, Peta Hiku, Brendan Elliot, Riley Price, Gehamat Shibasaki, Jake Bourke and Taniela Sadrugu.
Tamou, who announced his retirement from NRL level, enjoyed a remarkable first grade career spanning 307 games and 15 seasons. The 34-year-old appeared in 172 games for North Queensland, which is the 11th most in club history. Tamou was an integral member of the Cowboys maiden premiership-winning side in 2015, scoring a try in the grand final victory. He also represented NSW and Australia during his time at the club.
A standout junior from Mackay, Dunn came through the Cowboys NYC system before graduating to the NRL squad in 2018. Dunn would make his NRL debut later that season and went on to appear in 57 games over the course of six seasons.
Hampton relocated to North Queensland after a grand final appearance for the Melbourne Storm in 2016. The Mareeba Gladiators junior played in the grand final for the Cowboys in 2017 and became a mainstay in the NRL side before injuries derailed the latter years of his Cowboys career. In total, Hampton appeared in 82 games for the Cowboys across seven seasons, scoring 17 tries.
Hiku immediately slotted into the right centre position after joining the Cowboys for the 2022 season, culminating in a remarkable 28 carry, 314 metre performance in the week one finals victory over the Sharks. Hiku appeared in 48 games over his two seasons in North Queensland.
Elliot arrived in North Queensland late in the 2022 pre-season and immediately impressed Cowboys coaches with his work ethic. The 29-year-old made five appearances for North Queensland across two seasons.
Price came through the Cowboys academies before moving to North Queensland to join the Young Guns program in 2019. He made his NRL debut in 2023 and made two appearances in total.
