Dearden re-signs with Cowboys through to end of the decade

The North Queensland Cowboys have locked in the services of five-eighth Tom Dearden until at least the end of the 2029 NRL season after the 22-year-old spent the early offseason considering if he wanted to take up any rival offers.

Alongside the epic Jarome Luai signing saga, where young playmaker Dearden would move (or stay) from 2025 onward has been a huge talking point this rugby league offseason.

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While many around the Cowboys camp were sure Dearden would eventually stay in North Queensland—especially because he’s so settled there—there was a pretty hefty push from the St George Illawarra Dragons and the club’s new coach Shane Flanagan to lure the 22-year-old to Wollongong. The main selling point there was to learn from Ben Hunt.

Dearden did hold some talks with the Dragons, though nothing really got beyond early negotiations, and he has now decided he would rather pledge himself to North Queensland long-term.

The five-eighth, who has already played 58 games for the Cowboys since arriving in 2021, is now locked in for six more seasons. It’s a big coup for Todd Payten and the Cowboys, especially considering Dearden is already one of the best sixes in the game.

The Cowboys’ front office certainly knows it too, with most relieved to get the deal done.

“This is a great day for our club, locking in one of the most talented young playmakers in rugby league to remain in a Cowboys jersey until the end of the decade. Today’s announcement finalises what we believe is a solid foundation for our club to build around with Tom, Scott Drinkwater and Reece Robson all locked into long-term deals,” Cowboys general manager Micheal Luck said.

Robson was recently re-signed through to 2025 while Drinkwater is earning around $650,000 a season to play through to 2027. Skipper Jason Taumalolo and backrower Jeremiah Nanai are also signed to the same season and earning around $1.85 million between them.

“We were always confident Tom wanted to remain part of our club,” Luck added. “His improvement has been considerable since he first arrived and we believe he’s only scratched the surface.”