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Watch Chad Townsend - In Control from 7.30pm on Fox League

Cowboys halfback Chad Townsend has revealed how the club landed his signature, a signing that was questioned at the time but has proven a masterstroke.

Townsend won a premiership with the Sharks in 2016 and had an option in his favour to play for the club this season.

But the 31-year-old instead opted to leave his comfort zone in the Shire, where he grew up, and move his young family to a steaming hot Townsville last November.

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But Townsend admits he thought hed finish his career at Cronulla and the approach from North Queensland officials came out of the blue.

Yeah its a wild one to be honest, I had my contract status at the Sharks I had an option in my favour to stay at the club, Townsend said on Fox League.

You know I never really entertained the thought of leaving, you know and then all of a sudden Ive got a call from my manager to say the Cowboys want to have a chat to you and what do you think? I was like you know lets go and have a chat and see what they think.

I went to the meeting with my manager in the Shire in the corner of a cafe just to try and not be seen.

I remember going to that meeting with Todd (Payten), Michael Luck our GM of football, Dane, head of recruitment and they kind of pitched to me what they saw in myself and what they would like me to do if I chose to come up here.

It really appealed to me and I left that meeting, went home to my wife and I just said I can do exactly what they want me to do and you know within a week later I signed the contract and declined my option and thats how it played out.

It was such a big decision like I said my home, my family, my friends, my wifes family, my wifes friends theyre all in the Shire and the easy thing for us to do would have been to say no and take up my option in Cronulla I was comfortable, but we chose the hard way, we chose to move.

Townsend left the Sharks halfway through last season for the Warriors before injury cut his loan stint short.

The veteran playmaker said hes spent most of his career pushing himself to become better and the Cowboys move was just the latest chapter.

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Ive got three young children, Im expecting one more in a months time and the easy thing for us would have been to stay and we chose the hard way to relocate our young family and made the decision early in my career to move to New Zealand to challenge myself, to get out of my comfort zone.

I wasnt afraid to put my career first and challenge myself and this was just another example of that.

Townsend has proved the steady hand the Cowboys have needed this season, guiding the club to second on the ladder after 23 rounds.

I think from that first initial meeting, hearing Todd speak and his vision for the club and him speaking about the roster and the youth within that side and the fact that they wanted me to come in and help out with some leadership and experience, that really appealed to me, he said.

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I looked at the roster and I saw some really talented guys like a lot of them, early twenties and a lot of them are still at the very start of their career.

I knew that I could come in and help, I guess guide these guys into the right direction on the field and give them the chance to reach their potential.

Like I said I know who said what and again I understand how the media works and I understand that people they want to create headlines with wanting to pick people to come last but for me it motivated me.

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Its a wild one to be honest: Inside the Cowboys pitch that landed Chad Townsend - Fox Sports