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Cowboys quintet offered place in NRL squad

Todd Payten has reinforced his top 30 with five young guns.

Published by
Euan Kennedy

The North Queensland Cowboys have signed young guns Jodeci Baker-Tiraha, Robert Derby, Tom Duffy, Ragarive Wavik and Jai Hansen onto the top 30 squad in 2023.

These five players have joined the graduating class of 2022, which included the likes of Jake Bourke, Jordan Lipp and Tom Chester who has already debuted with the first-grade squad.

The 19-year-old, Jodeci Baker-Tiraha is a product of the Cowboys' Brisbane Academy and is revered for his fast feet.

Robert Derby has already got an impressive resume, having paired with the likes of David Mead and Alex Johnston in the PNG Kumals test win over the Fiji Bati back in June.

The 20-year-old winger was denied a World Cup jersey later in the year due to an ankle issue.

On the topic of representative talent, 19-year-old halfback Tom Duffy was part of Queensland's U19s squad for this year's Origin encounter with NSW.

A native of Townsville, he also led the U21s Blackhawks side to a premiership in 2022.

His fellow Blackhawks teammate, Ragarive Wavik is a versatile outside back, having put in time at halfback, fullback and most recently in the centres.

Boasting plenty of pace, the product of Port Moresby has the potential to be a potent strike weapon in the future.

Shifting back to the centre of the field, Rockhampton's Jai Hansen does his work from dummy half.

Hansen enjoyed a stint throughout the 2022 season training with Todd Payten's first-grade side.

It will be intriguing to see if injury or Origin selection opens the door for one of these young Cowboys to make their debut on the big stage in 2023.

Published by
Euan Kennedy