North Queensland Cowboys co-skipper Tom Dearden has backed Todd Payten to re-sign with the club following some strong form that has gotten the Cowboys into the Top 8.
Payten came under fire to start the season after they got off to a shaky start in the opening fortnight, but has since rallied the team and gotten the Cowboys playing exciting footy to record eight wins and four losses.
Without a contract for next year, Payten is currently in talks with club officials about whether an extension is on the cards.
When speaking on Channel 7's Agenda Setters: Rugby League, Dearden fully endorsed Payten to extend his time at the club and lead them towards a premiership in Townsville.
"Yeah, I certainly do," Dearden said, responding to questions about whether he'd like to see Payten receive an extension.
"Toddy was the coach that brought me up here to the club and I thought the faith and the belief that he showed in me at the start of my journey coming up here and yeah he's been a big influence on my career and my journey in the NRL.
"I think he's a great coach and I know over the years and we've had a few inconsistent performances but I just think he's got so much belief and passion for the club and about this group.
"I'm in full support of him extending his time up here at the Cowboys."
Payten has unearthed the likes of Jaxon Purdue, Tom Chester and Helium Luki, all stars with unlimited potential who are playing in an elite patch of form.
The club sits sixth after winning eight of its last 10 games, with a finals appearance looming for the Cowboys in 2026 as they continue to find another gear.
Dearden is currently sidelined with a syndesmosis injury suffered in round 10, ruling him out of Game 1 of the State of Origin series.
Although the reigning Wally Lewis Medallist is hoping to return in time for Game 3, and remains focused on returning within the next month of the competition.
“I think it's (a return) just as early as I can so it's actually tracking pretty well at the moment and the ankle's feeling pretty good," he added.
“Hopefully it's only another three or four weeks away. That's what I'm hoping for anyway.”
Following their shaky start to the season, Dearden lifted the lid on what has turned around in North Queensland, focusing majorly on trust and belief within the playing group.
"There hasn't been too much of a change,” Dearden added.
“I thought we did a really good job of showing a lot of trust and belief in the work that we did in the preseason, and no, the first two games of the season we got completely wrong and we just missed our game.
“But I thought the way we just rallied together… I know our attack's been the talking point and we've had a lot of wins that have been shootouts, but I thought the last two weeks, just the little effort areas and how hard we've worked for each other defensively has been the most pleasing thing.
“I think that's what set up the win the last couple of weeks, and you know how important those little moments are leading into the back end of the year.
“I think it's been one of those seasons where each week we've been striving to get better and the group's really hungry at the moment and they're training hard and working so hard to get better.”
The Cowboys will travel down to the nation's capital on Sunday to face a desperate Canberra Raiders outfit looking to get their season back on track.
