‘Helped me find that belief in myself again’: Secret of Cowboy’s rise after Broncos ‘crossroads’
Cowboys star Tom Dearden has opened up on his former struggles at the Broncos ahead of Saturday night’s sudden death semi-final against the Knights.
The Maroons five-eighth endured a turbulent exit from Brisbane after bursting onto the NRL scene under Anthony Seibold in 2019 aged just 18.
The 23-year-old was released from the Broncos midway through the 2021 season to join North Queensland and has gone on to establish himself as one of the best halves in the NRL.
He featured in all three games of this year’s State of Origin series while filling in for the injured Cameron Munster after making his Maroons debut alongside Daly Cherry-Evans in 2022.
Dearden has blossomed under coach Todd Payten and was duly rewarded with a five-year contract extension in December that will keep him in Cowboys colours until the end of 2029.
And with the tyro is set to feature in his second finals series, Dearden said he doesn’t reflect on what life would be like had he remained in Brisbane.
“No I don’t,” Dearden told the Courier Mail.
“I’m a North Queensland kid and I love playing for the Cowboys.
“Since I’ve been up here I don’t think I’ve ever looked back.
“The move helped get my career back on track. When I left Brisbane, I was at a bit of a crossroads with whether I thought I belonged in the NRL or not.
“Coming here and being at this club, around these players and coached by Todd helped me find that belief in myself again.
“I know the trust the club and Toddy has put in me has really helped me become the player that I am.”
A Mackay junior, the former Australian schoolboys representative spent three years at Red Hill during a turbulent time for club including their 2020 campaign in which the Broncos claimed the wooden spoon.
Dearden’s confidence understandably took a hit as he struggled to establish himself as an NRL playmaker at the glamour club.
With former South Sydney skipper Adam Reynolds in Brisbane’s sights, Dearden joined the Cowboys and was released mid-year by Broncos coach Kevin Walters.
“It wasn’t a pretty time for the Broncos. It was some of the worst years,” he said.
“It was going through a period where the Broncos had a lot of young players and I was part of that.
“We weren’t getting the results on the field and when you’re playing in the NRL and not getting the results it adds a lot of pressure.”
The Cowboys are considered a premiership smoky and boast a glutton of representative players to have many believing they have the stocks to go all the way.
And after losing the 2022 preliminary final to the Eels, Dearden is hellbent on helping his side go further in 2024.
“It’s been a great year,” he said.
“I know we’ve been inconsistent at times, but over the last five or six weeks we’ve really found our identity with our game heading into the finals.
“(The co-captaincy) has been really enjoyable. I know it’s a role Reubs and I have grown into as the year’s gone on and we’ve certainly learnt a lot along the way.
“I think it has (made me play better). Being co-captain brings a bit of added responsibility.
“That’s something that’s really improved me as a player and also a person as well.”
