JEFF REIBEL EXCLUSIVE AT HPC
Rugby League by MICHAEL THOMPSON
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Subscriber only A revolutionary cross-code partnership is set to kick serious goals for North Queensland s rugby league and football communities. The North Queensland Cowboys and Football Queensland have struck a user partnership agreement to allow North Queensland football players access to the Cowboys new $40m Community, Training and High Performance Centre. Football Queensland North will share state-of-the-art facilities with the Cowboys and Gold Stars women s team on a rotating roster over 12 months. The partnership is also a crucial step in the region s aims of bringing international football teams to North Queensland for training camps in the lead-up to the FIFA Women s World Cup being held in Australia and New Zealand in 2023.
Premiership forward John Asiata has joined the Brisbane Broncos for the 2021 season.
The 27-year-old middle forward arrives in Brisbane on a one-year contract after 128 NRL games for the North Queensland Cowboys, including a 2015 Grand Final win.
Asiata made his NRL debut in 2014 for the Cowboys, having shifted from the Roosters where he was named in the 2013 NYC Team Of The Year. He was a product of renowned rugby league nursery Patrician Brothers College.
Broncos CEO Paul White said Asiata’s signing was a coup given his footballing talent and strong cultural focus, having twice been named Clubman Of The Year in Townsville (2016 and 2020).