Jake Clifford has handed the Cowboys and coach Todd Payten a major boost ahead of Friday night’s NRL showdown with Parramatta after putting pen to paper on a two-year extension with the club. Clifford has been in career-best form for North Queensland this season, striking up a brilliant halves combination with skipper and Maroons star Tom Dearden.
The 28-year-old came into the new season with major question marks around his future and whether he could lock down the No.6 role. Clifford was in and out of Payten’s starting side last year, with Jaxon Purdue also used at five-eighth. But Purdue has made the centre position his own in 2026 and Clifford’s form in the halves has been instrumental to their surge into the top eight.
Todd Payten (L) and the Cowboys have been handed a major boost after in-form playmaker Jake Clifford (R) signed a new two-year extension with the club. Pic: Getty
Cowboys CEO Micheal Luck said Clifford had been challenged before the season to cement his spot in the No.6 jersey and earn a new contract beyond 2026. And he says the 28-year-old has done just that after forming a terrific understanding in the halves with Dearden that the Cowboys are confident will set them up for future success.
“Jake has regularly been among our best players and has been an integral part of our strong start to 2026,” Luck told News Corp. “The partnership between Jake and Tom Dearden in the halves has blossomed over the past 12 months and we believe they complement each other well.”
Clifford and his family are settled in Townsville and he’s followed the Cowboys since he was a kid. So deciding to commit his future to the club was a “no-brainer” for the playmaker. “This is our home here and I’m really excited with what this playing group has been building this year,” he said. “To be able to put the Cowboys jersey on for at least the next two years and represent the region and my family is something I look forward to every single week.”
Jake Clifford extension another win for coach Todd Payten
The new deal for Clifford also appears to be a major vote of confidence in Cowboys mentor Payten, who is still uncontracted beyond this season. Payten began 2026 as one of the NRL’s most under-fire coaches and back-to-back losses to start the season ramped up the scrutiny around him.
But Payten has helped mastermind a drastic turnaround that’s seen the Cowboys win six of their last seven games. The only blip was a disastrous Round 7 thumping at home to Manly, but Payten’s men responded with strong wins over the Sharks and Bulldogs over the last fortnight.
Cowboys coach Todd Payten (L) is still unsigned beyond the 2026 season, despite guiding the club to six wins from their last seven games. Pic: Getty
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It’s sparked calls for the Cowboys board to hand Payten a new deal and remove the coaching uncertainty hanging over the club. And Clifford’s extension looks to be another major shot in the arm for Payten, who also helped convince Purdue to sign a four-year extension with North Queensland last month.
There are suggestions the board could wait to see how results go for the Cowboys up until their Round 15 bye, before making a call on Payten’s coaching future. But the 47-year-old says he has “no ambition to be anywhere else” and with another important part of the Cowboys’ puzzle now in place, Payten’s prospects are looking brighter.