Cowboys to farewell nine departing players

The North Queensland Toyota Cowboys will farewell nine players at Wednesday’s Presentation Night at the Townsville Entertainment and Convention Centre.

Retiring Cowboys premiership winner James Tamou headlines the group, which also includes Mitch Dunn, Ben Hampton, Peta Hiku, Brendan Elliot, Riley Price, Gehamat Shibasaki, Jake Bourke and Taniela Sadrugu.

Tamou, who announced his retirement from NRL level, enjoyed a remarkable first grade career spanning 307 games and 15 seasons. The 34-year-old appeared in 172 games for North Queensland, which is the 11th most in club history. Tamou was an integral member of the Cowboys maiden premiership-winning side in 2015, scoring a try in the grand final victory. He also represented NSW and Australia during his time at the club.

A standout junior from Mackay, Dunn came through the Cowboys NYC system before graduating to the NRL squad in 2018. Dunn would make his NRL debut later that season and went on to appear in 57 games over the course…