Aaron Payne

Aaron Payne (born 18 November 1982) is an Australian rugby league coach and former professional player who is the head coach of the Townsville Blackhawks in the Intrust Super Cup and assistant coach of the North Queensland Cowboys in the National Rugby League (NRL). Primarily a hooker, he played his entire career for the Cowboys.[3]

For the American sprinter, see Aaron Payne (athlete).

Aaron Payne
Personal information
Born (1982-11-18) 18 November 1982
Townsville, Queensland, Australia
Playing information
Height175 cm (5 ft 9 in)
Weight86 kg (13 st 8 lb)
PositionHooker, Halfback
Club
Years Team Pld T G FG P
2002–12 North Qld Cowboys 219 25 0 1 101
Representative
Years Team Pld T G FG P
2012 NRL All Stars 1 0 0 0 0
Source: [1][2]

Background

Born in Townsville, Queensland, Payne played his junior rugby league for the Central Tigers and attended Kirwan State High School before being signed by the North Queensland Cowboys. His father, Mark, played two games for Queensland in 1979.[4][5]

Playing career

In 1999, while playing for Centrals, Payne represented the Queensland under-17 team, starting at halfback in a loss to New South Wales.[6] In 2001, he represented the Queensland under-19 team, coming off the bench in a 28–14 win over the Blues.[7]

In Round 12 of the 2002 NRL season, Payne made his NRL debut for the Cowboys in a 40–32 win over the St George Illawarra Dragons. In his rookie season, he played five games, starting one at halfback. In 2003, Payne represented the Queensland Residents team and played four NRL games, scoring two tries.[8]

In 2004, after a permanent move to hooker, Payne became a regular in the Cowboys' side. He played 25 games that season, including the club's first ever finals appearances. His form earned him a spot in Queensland's Emerging Origin squad for the first time.[9]

In 2005, Payne played all 28 games for the Cowboys, including the 2005 NRL Grand Final, in which they lost 16–30 to the Wests Tigers.[10] In 2006, he won the Paul Bowman Medal, the Cowboys Player of the Year award, for the first time.[11][12] In Round 18 of the 2007 NRL season, Payne played his 100th NRL game in a 16–24 loss to the Brisbane Broncos.[13]

In 2008, in what was a poor season for the Cowboys, Payne won the Paul Bowman Medal for the second time and also received the Players' Player and Club Person of the Year awards.[14] In 2009, Payne played just 16 games due to injury. The injury occurred in a Round 17 win over the Cronulla Sharks, in which Payne was playing his 150th NRL game. The injury ruled him out for the season.[15] In 2010, Payne played 21 games for the club, missing three weeks due to an ankle injury.[16]

Payne is often considered an underrated player, operating in the shadows of high-profile Cowboys players such as Johnathan Thurston and Matt Bowen. Former Australian captain Gorden Tallis has described Payne as the "glue" that holds the Cowboys together.[17][18] In 2011, he re-signed with the Cowboys for a further season as the club made the finals for the first time in four seasons.[19]

On 4 February 2012, Payne earned the first senior representative honour of his career when he started at hooker for the NRL All Stars in their 36–28 win over the Indigenous All Stars. Payne was a late call-up by All Stars' coach Wayne Bennett for the injured Cameron Smith.[20][21]

In Round 6 of the 2012 NRL season, Payne played his 200th NRL game, the third Cowboy to do so, in a 18–42 loss to the Melbourne Storm.[22] On 1 August 2012, Payne announced that he would retire at the end of the season.[23] His final game was an 33–16 elimination final win over the Brisbane Broncos at Dairy Farmers Stadium. Payne was injured in the match and missed the rest of the Cowboys finals campaign.[24] For his contribution to the Cowboys, Payne was awarded a life membership with the club, the fourth person at the time to receive the honour.[25]

Coaching career

In 2014, Payne became the head coach of the Cowboys' Academy program, mentoring players from squads in Townsville, Cairns, Mackay, Rockhampton and Brisbane.

On 20 November 2015, he was named as head coach of the club's under-20 side. He coached the side for two seasons, taking them to the finals in both years, before the competition was ended.[26][27]

On 28 September 2018, he was named as head coach of the Townsville Blackhawks, signing a two-year contract. He replaced inaugural head coach Kristian Woolf.[28] On 21 July 2020, Payne returned to the Cowboys, joining as an assistant coach for the remainder of the 2020 NRL season.[29]

Achievements and accolades

Individual

Statistics

NRL
Season Team Matches T G GK % F/G Pts
2002 North Queensland 500–00
2003 North Queensland 420–08
2004 North Queensland 2540–016
2005 North Queensland 2850–020
2006 North Queensland 2160–024
2007 North Queensland 2700–11
2008 North Queensland 2410–04
2009 North Queensland 1640–016
2010 North Queensland 2100–00
2011 North Queensland 2320–08
2012 North Queensland 2510–04
Career totals 219 25 0 – 1 101

References
  1. Herald Sun
  2. RLP
  3. "Legend Q&A: Aaron Payne". NRL. 4 December 2019.
  4. Marshall, Matt (21 September 2007). "Aaron Payne is a north Queenslander to his bootstraps". The Courier-Mail. News Limited. Retrieved 20 September 2010.
  5. Stewart, Antony (7 March 2008). "Payne out to regain authority". Townsville Bulletin. News Limited. Retrieved 20 September 2010.
  6. "1999". 18th Man.
  7. "2001". 18th Man.
  8. Stewart, Antony (15 December 2007). "Payne's flag pledge". Townsville Bulletin. News Limited. Retrieved 20 September 2010.
  9. "Players unlucky not to have worn the Maroons jersey". QRL. 27 July 2019.
  10. "Cowboys side better than 2005 Grand Final team". The Courier Mail. 29 July 2015.
  11. "Honours: North Queensland Cowboys". www.cowboys.com.au. North Queensland Cowboys. Archived from the original on 30 October 2011. Retrieved 30 October 2011.
  12. Davis, Greg (11 October 2008). "Sam Thaiday Broncos best; Aaron Payne No.1 at Cowboys". The Sunday Mail. News Limited. Retrieved 20 September 2010.
  13. "NRL Preview: Round 18". ABC. 13 July 2018.
  14. "Aaron Payne the heart and soul of North Queensland". The Courier Mail. 25 April 2011.
  15. "Gutsy Cowboys suffer triple injury blow". Sydney Morning Herald. 5 July 2009.
  16. "Payne out for up to six weeks". ABC. 13 April 2020.
  17. Walshaw, Nick (8 September 2007). "The forgotten Cowboy". The Daily Telegraph. News Limited. Retrieved 20 September 2010.
  18. Tallis, Gorden (25 August 2009). "Cowboys season over when Aaron Payne injured". The Courier-Mail. News Limited. Retrieved 20 September 2010.
  19. "Payne re-signs for season 2012". Zero Tackle. 21 September 2011.
  20. "NRL All-Stars call up Cowboy Payne". Sydney Morning Herald. 26 January 2012.
  21. McDonald, Margie (3 February 2012). "Aaron Payne finally gets his rep team break at 30". The Australian. Retrieved 4 February 2012.
  22. "Payne proud of 200 NRL games with Cowboys". Sydney Morning Herald. 4 April 2012.
  23. "Payne to retire at end of season". ABC. 1 August 2012.
  24. "Injury signals the end for injured Payne". ABC. 13 September 2012.
  25. "Life membership for club chairman". North Queensland Cowboys. 26 February 2016.
  26. https://www.cowboys.com.au/news/2015/11/20/payne-appointed-nyc-coach/
  27. https://www.cowboys.com.au/news/2017/09/05/nyc-roll-call-for-finals-destiny/
  28. http://blackhawkstsv.com.au/2018/09/28/more-payne-more-gain/
  29. "Payne returns as assistant coach for remainder of 2020". North Queensland Cowboys. 21 July 2020.
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