The Cowboys look set to offer Valentine Holmes a huge deal after a major list shake-up, according to The Courier Mail.
North Queensland have moved on nine players for 2019, freeing up $3 million of their salary cap to use on a restructure of their roster. The clean-out comes after a disappointing 2018 campaign for the Cowboys, who finished 13th despite initial expectations they would be in premiership contention.
Champions Johnathan Thurston and Antonio Winterstein have announced their retirement from the NRL, while 2015 premiership players Kane Linnett and Lachlan Coote have not been extended new deals. Coote has since signed on with Super League side St Helens.
Shaun Fensom has also been shown the door, while prop Sam Hoare, centre Shaun Hudson, playmaker Kyle Laybutt and injury-riddled hooker Josh Chudleigh have all also been moved on.
The Cowboys are expected to sign Ben Barba on a deal understood to be worth around $500,000 for 2019, after a brilliant season with St Helens in the English Super League. Barba joined St Helens on the back of a twelve match drug ban but has successfully reignited his career in England, earning him a recall to the NRL in a direct trade with Lachlan Coote.
Barba is currently considered a frontrunner for the Super League's coveted Man of Steel Award, which is the equivalent of the NRL's Dally M Medal.
Barba's signing will leave plenty of salary cap space for the Cowboys to make a bid for Queensland representative star Valentine Holmes, who has expressed his interest in making a return to Townsville.
The Sharks have tabled a five-year deal to the tune of at least $4 million to Holmes, but if the Cowboys can make a similar offer they have a strong chance of poaching Holmes for 2020 on a long-term contract.
Retiring legend Thurston is confident the Cowboys can make a resurgence in 2019, despite the major upheaval of their playing group.
“There will still be a lot of success for this club in the future,” Thurston said.
“With the players we have coming through and the players we’ve had on the sidelines this year through injury, guys like Michael Morgan and Jordan McLean, I’m confident we can make the finals (in 2019).”
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