Todd Payten has revealed a new contract at North Queensland is imminent with the Dally M coach of the year set to extend his stay until 2026.
Off-contract at the end of next year, Payten is nearing on signing a new three-season extension at the club after taking them to the top four this year.
The Cowboys are desperate to lock up the rising mentor, given he would loom as a genuine option for several clubs if they part ways with coaches early in 2023.
But that would require Payten to want to leave north Queensland. And as far as he is concerned, that won’t be happening any time soon.
(Photo by Ian Hitchcock/Getty Images)
“It’s close,” Payten said of the deal.
“I’ve actually clocked off since Friday … I haven’t answered my phone.
“I’ve got to apologise to our staff members because they are asking me questions … and I haven’t been in the right spot to (respond).
“So as far as our contract goes, it’s going to happen. I want to stay, they want me to stay. It’s days away.”
After growing up in country NSW, Payten has found a home in Townsville with his young family, after previously serving there as an assistant.
His passion for the club is also clear, as evidenced by his endearing speech after being awarded as coach of the year at Wednesday night’s Dally Ms.
“When we first moved there the kids were six, four and two. They’re now 13, 11 and nine,” Payten said.
“After a month, (his wife) Jules and I spoke about how much we love the town.
“And we’re country people. So going from Sydney back to a country town, the values of the people are the the same as what we have. It’s a great town.
“We punch well above our weight in the league, if you look at our stadium and performance facility.
“It’s rugby league heartland and that’s why I love coaching there.”
Meanwhile North Queensland have confirmed to AAP that Jason Taumalolo will serve his three-match ban for dangerous contact at the World Cup.
One of those matches will come in a pre-tournament trial, before the Cowboys lock sits out the first two group games and frees himself to start the next NRL season.
Ben Hunt is still hopeful of getting a deal done with St George Illawarra in the next week, despite rejecting the latest offer from the NRL club.
Hunt is off contract at the end of next year and the Dragons remain desperate to get a new deal sorted before he is free to talk to rivals on November 1.
Both Hunt and the Dragons had signalled their intent to have the deal signed before the club captain leaves for the World Cup, if selected, late next week.
But those plans hit a roadblock on Wednesday, with news Hunt’s management had knocked back the latest offer from the club.
“We’ve got a number and we’re getting there, but it’s going to take a bit of time,” Hunt said.
“We’re getting close. We are very close. Both parties want to get it sorted out before the World Cup. I’m sure we’ll get it done this week.”
Hunt’s comments came on the Dally M’s red carpet, where he entered as one of the favourites to take out the top gong but was beaten out by Sharks halfback Nicho Hynes. Hunt received captain of the year for the way he held the under-performing Dragons together.
The veteran halfback and club have now been in negotiations for several months. That has largely played out in the media while at one stage an inquiry from Hunt’s camp to have a clause linked to coach Anthony Griffin was rejected by the club.
The Dragons find themselves in a tricky position with Hunt their best player by some margin.
However they are also keen to keep their hands on rising star Jayden Sullivan, with the natural half spending time at hooker late in the season.
One option would be Hunt shifting to the No.9 jersey in the long term to keep Sullivan at the club, but the man himself said that was not part of discussions.
Hunt indicated there had been a small frustration over the protracted nature of the discussions.
“Yes and no,” he responded when asked if he was growing frustrated. “It’s just the way contracts goes. Sometimes it’s the way it is. I understand that they’re trying to do the best by the club and I’m trying to do best by myself.
“I’m still sure we can work it out (if not before World Cup). But the preference is to get it done before them. Obviously after that it might get a bit harder.”
Super league is set to scrap automatic promotion and relegation and elevate clubs on the basis of a new grading system, under proposals unveiled by IMG.
The plans, released on Wednesday, are part of the global sports media giant’s 12-year ‘strategic partnership’ with the sport.
Clubs will be categorised in three bands based on a series of as-yet undetermined on and off-field criteria, with teams in the top ‘A’ band guaranteed to earn their place in the top tier.
Those given category ‘B’ status will fill the remaining places in a 12-team top-flight but face an annual re-assessment.
They would have to prove themselves worthy of promotion to the safeguarded ‘A’ standard or run the risk of being replaced.
The proposals are set to come into force at the end of the 2024 season, but only if a majority of the 37 professional clubs vote in favour.
The clubs were briefed by IMG prior to a media presentation in Manchester.
(Photo by Martin Rickett/PA Images via Getty Images)
Matt Dwyer, IMG’s vice president of sports management, said: “We have a unique opportunity to alter the growth trajectory of the sport.
“We believe the recommendations we have presented today will provide the foundation for that growth and attract new investment into the game.”
Dwyer was anxious to differentiate the new plans from the previous licensing model, controversially introduced when Super League was launched in 1996, and whose much more rigid criteria effectively excluded a number of clubs from reaching the top-flight.
IMG maintains that because its new criteria will focus on a range of factors. It will still be possible for a club that comes up short in one aspect – for example, a lower ground capacity – to achieve ‘A’ licensing if it excels across other areas.
The IMG proposals also include abandoning unpopular ‘loop’ fixtures and the annual ‘Magic Weekend’, ensuring a tighter domestic schedule that will create time for an international break and pushing the Challenge Cup final back to its more traditional May slot.
York chairman Clint Goodchild, whose team are on the cusp of the current top-flight after reaching this season’s Championship play-offs, broadly welcomed the proposals.
“The public may be very fond of (promotion and relegation), but the facts say that it doesn’t work. Everyone likes the idea of potentially going up, but I think it’s the hope that kills.
“Clubs are already stretching beyond their means in areas that are unsustainable. They are spending money on players thinking winning on the field will end in profitability and it has crippled the game.”
However, the proposals drew short shrift at Keighley Cougars, who this season won all 20 of their league matches as they were promoted back to the second-tier Championship.
“I value the contribution IMG can bring to sport – they bring weight, talent and value,” said co-owner Ryan O’Neill.
“However, on what I’ve seen today, I have reservations they fully understand rugby league.
“This doesn’t mean super clubs that are immortal to the jeopardy of relegation. It means offering a competitive sport where losers can become winners, and winners can become losers. Preserving glamour clubs for vanity is not the answer.”
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