Macdonald pens 3-year deal with Cowboys

Papua New Guinea flyer Nene Macdonald will join the North Queensland Cowboys on a three-year deal from next season.
The 24-year-old arrives at the club on the back of a stellar season for the St George Illawarra Dragons, which saw him score 10 tries in 23 games.
After debuting for the Sydney Roosters in 2014, Macdonald played 91 NRL games across six seasons for the Roosters, Gold Coast Titans and Dragons, scoring 31 tries.
A product of Cairns, Macdonald was originally contracted to the Dragons for the 2019 season, but the club agreed to release the winger to allow him to return closer to family.
Macdonald has also played Nine tests for Papua New Guinea after making his international debut as a 19-year-old in 2013.
Cowboys head coach Paul Green said the club was excited to bring a prodigious North Queensland-bred talent home.
“He’s a North Queensland kid and we like North Queenslanders representing this region,” Green said.
“Nene is going to offer plenty of depth to our backline and had a fantastic year for the Dragons.
“I know him on a personal level after coaching him in the U20s at the Roosters and am confident he will be a good cultural fit for our club as well.”
Cowboys football director Peter Parr said recruiting outside backs for 2019 was a major focus for the club after the departure of a number of long-tenured players in those positions.
“He’s a very talented athlete and with the retirement of Antonio Winterstein, we were keen to add to our outside backs and in particular the wing position,” Parr said.
“Nene fits the criteria we were looking for and he indicated to us that he had a desire to return home to North Queensland.
“So we made some inquiries with the Dragons and they have been very cooperative in helping us bring him back to North Queensland.”
Macdonald’s signing is a huge coup for the Cowboys as they look to bolster their potency out wide after a lack of speed was exposed this season.
Stalwart backs Kane Linnett, Antonio Winterstein and Lachlan Coote have moved on, giving the club significant room to move to chase big names.
Macdonald has played nine tests for Papua New Guinea and is rated one of the best finishers in the game, scoring ten tries in 23 matches this year.
He will join Ben Barba, named the English Super League’s Man of Steel this morning after a stellar campaign for St Helens, in a dynamic back three.
Barba has only signed for one year, giving the Cowboys scope to chase Townsville product and Cronulla fullback Valentine Holmes from 2020 onward.
Barba only the second player in history alongside Gavin Miller to win the Man of Steel and the Dally M Medal.
He finished the season as the league’s top try-scorer with 28, and finished second for tackle-breaks and third for try-assists.
The Cowboys are also set to lure Souths Logan Magpies centre Dan Russell to the club next year, and they are also confident off contract flyer Javid Bowen will stay put.
Former Broncos centre Tom Opacic is also set to be officially confirmed as a Cowboy, likely sometime this week.
– Townsville Bulletin