Newly minted Cowboy Tom Dearden gives his first exclusive interview post-Broncos to the Courier Mail's multi-award-winning journalist Peter Badel. He's out to finish the season strongly, particularly in Round 20, when he faces the Broncos for the first time:
"JT is a huge factor. JT has offered to help me. He obviously has a busy life but he says he is here to help and any chance I get to work with him and talk to him, I will take it with both hands."
“As I spend more time here I will get a chance to see him more. JT is someone I will be looking to help me and Michael Morgan is another guy. He is around the club and he has done so much in the game. It’s been a really good move for me. The staff, the boys at the Cowboys and Todd have been welcoming."
“I have felt at home straight away.”
“I was a bit starstruck meeting JT and Cam Smith at first, just shaking their hand was a thrill. It’s nice to know JT is someone who is always around the club. Growing up, I was a mad Cowboys fan and a mad Johnathan Thurston fan, so to get the opportunity to learn from someone like him is a massive bonus for me."
“I loved the way JT played the game, the way he competed. He is someone I modelled my game on growing up and the way he held himself, a lot of young footballers looked up to JT. I always wanted to play the game like him, so I am definitely looking forward to picking his brain.”
Feels at home
“Yeah, I lost a bit of confidence, you could put it that way. We struggled to get results on the field and that doesn’t help with your personal confidence. I never expected to leave the Broncos mid-season. Obviously when I made my decision, I had planned to come up (to the Cowboys) next year, but it has worked out well for me to come earlier and start my journey now at the Cowboys."
“I will always appreciate that the Broncos gave me my opportunity and it‘s been a tough couple of years for the club. I enjoyed my time at the Broncos but I’m here now and looking forward. I want to finish the season strongly.”
“I do think I’m a halfback. I enjoy the halfback role and I feel I’m at my best when I am getting the team around the park and steering the side at seven."
“The NRL is hard, it‘s the strongest competition in the world and we had a tough couple of years at the Broncos which affected me. I know I need to keep working on my game and learning as much as I can. The more experience I get playing at NRL level, the better I will get. I definitely have that belief. I believe I can be a long-term playmaker in the NRL. I have a lot to give to the game and a lot to improve on. That‘s what I am doing at the moment."
“I have the hunger and drive to become a quality playmaker and that’s what I’m working towards at the Cowboys. Speaking to the coaching staff and Todd Payten, they had a really good clear plan in place for me."
“I do feel it’s a place where I can learn and take my game to the next level. I want to get results for the Cowboys and make the club successful again.”
www.cowboys.com.au
McHunt
"JT is a huge factor. JT has offered to help me. He obviously has a busy life but he says he is here to help and any chance I get to work with him and talk to him, I will take it with both hands."
“As I spend more time here I will get a chance to see him more. JT is someone I will be looking to help me and Michael Morgan is another guy. He is around the club and he has done so much in the game. It’s been a really good move for me. The staff, the boys at the Cowboys and Todd have been welcoming."
“I have felt at home straight away.”
“I was a bit starstruck meeting JT and Cam Smith at first, just shaking their hand was a thrill. It’s nice to know JT is someone who is always around the club. Growing up, I was a mad Cowboys fan and a mad Johnathan Thurston fan, so to get the opportunity to learn from someone like him is a massive bonus for me."
“I loved the way JT played the game, the way he competed. He is someone I modelled my game on growing up and the way he held himself, a lot of young footballers looked up to JT. I always wanted to play the game like him, so I am definitely looking forward to picking his brain.”
Feels at home
“Yeah, I lost a bit of confidence, you could put it that way. We struggled to get results on the field and that doesn’t help with your personal confidence. I never expected to leave the Broncos mid-season. Obviously when I made my decision, I had planned to come up (to the Cowboys) next year, but it has worked out well for me to come earlier and start my journey now at the Cowboys."
“I will always appreciate that the Broncos gave me my opportunity and it‘s been a tough couple of years for the club. I enjoyed my time at the Broncos but I’m here now and looking forward. I want to finish the season strongly.”
“I do think I’m a halfback. I enjoy the halfback role and I feel I’m at my best when I am getting the team around the park and steering the side at seven."
“The NRL is hard, it‘s the strongest competition in the world and we had a tough couple of years at the Broncos which affected me. I know I need to keep working on my game and learning as much as I can. The more experience I get playing at NRL level, the better I will get. I definitely have that belief. I believe I can be a long-term playmaker in the NRL. I have a lot to give to the game and a lot to improve on. That‘s what I am doing at the moment."
“I have the hunger and drive to become a quality playmaker and that’s what I’m working towards at the Cowboys. Speaking to the coaching staff and Todd Payten, they had a really good clear plan in place for me."
“I do feel it’s a place where I can learn and take my game to the next level. I want to get results for the Cowboys and make the club successful again.”
Thurston presents Dearden with Cowboys' debut jersey
North Queensland Toyota Cowboys legend Johnathan Thurston presenting halfback Tom Dearden with his club debut jersey, earning our Oh What a Feeling moment for Round 14 - proudly brought to you by Toyota and the North Queensland Toyota Dealers!
www.cowboys.com.au
McHunt
