The North Queensland Cowboys have confirmed that veteran Gavin Cooper will depart the club at the end of the season.
A member of the 2015 premiership side, Cooper has played 245 of his 321 NRL games for the Cowboys over his 15-year career.
The 35-year old said North Queensland would always hold a special place in his heart.
โIโve enjoyed a lot of success here at the Cowboys and I had the chance to leave a couple of times, but I always felt a strong connection to the club and community and North Queensland was where I wanted to raise my young family,โ Cooper told the club website.
โThe 2015 grand final is the memory which sticks out for obvious reasons, but there were a number of other periods during my time at the club I look back on really fondly.
โThe run through to the 2017 grand final and to see some of the young kids we had in our squad that year grow up really quickly was very special. My 300th game down in Gosford when Jake Clifford stepped up and kicked a field goal for us to win against the Roosters and all the golden point games against the Broncos are other memories which stick out.
โThereโs a long list of people Iโd like to thank for their contributions to my career, but I donโt want to single anyone out right now, that is something I would like to do in person down the track.
โI would like to thank the Cowboys as well as all the clubโs members, fans and partners for their support during my time at the club. Iโve enjoyed every second of my time as a Cowboy.
โIโve got two more opportunities to wear Cowboys colours and Iโm going to give it my all like I always have with that jersey on and hopefully finish on a high.โ
Cooper will play his 246th game for the Cowboys in this Friday night's clash against the Panthers, tying Scott Bolton for the fourth most appearances for the club.
He will trail only Johnathan Thurston, Matt Bowen and Matt Scott for games played by North Queensland players.
Cooper has also made six State of Origin appearances for Queensland and played for the 2017 NRL All Star side.
Cowboys Director of Football Peter Parr praised Cooper for his contributions to the club.
โHeโs one of the great contributors this club has ever had. To play the amount of games he has and the amount of time he has spent on the field is significant for me โ heโs a guy that has played 80 minutes almost every game of his career, which I think has been understated,โ Parr said.
โHis on-field record speaks for itself, but what I think of when I reflect on Gavin Cooperโs career at the Cowboys is what he did away from the paddock. How consistent he was with his training and preparation and his care for his teammates and the club.
โThere hasnโt been a player who has cared more for this club or been more selfless for this club than Gavin Cooper. He did whatever he could to make this club successful both on and off the field and for that reason all of us who have been privileged enough to have had something to do with his career, we will look back on it as one of the great Cowboys careers.โ
