After the announcement that Jason Smith would finally retire at seasons end the North Queensland Cowboys management has moved switfly to sign a replacement.
Young Manly five-eighth Travis Burns will join the Cowboys in 2008 on a three year deal thats see’s him head back to his home state.
It’s a great move for all involved with Burns having to deal with the push from Manly officials to play Jamie Lyon at five/eighth to justify his place in the team and his high price tag, while the Cowboys get younger, faster and now have a brilliant young all Queensland halves combination that many teams will struggle to cope with.
Burns has been brilliant this season when played at five/eighth and you have to pay credit to him. He has backed his ability to move to a new club and I’m sure it will be a move that see’s his career really take off.
In other Cowboys news, Jonathon Thurston is unlikely to face any criminal charges after an alleged fight on the weekend.
Thurston stepped in to defend his former girlfriend after she was allegedly struck by another man. He did a good job of it to apparently, with the media reporting that Thurston punched the man and “Damaged his teeth”.
I just hope for Thurstons sake that the man he hit wasn’t a New South Welshman. Otherwise in three months time we’ll have the Blues forwards talking about how they should have stuck up for him!
