The recent signing of 33-year-old Chad Townsend by Sydney Roosters owner “Uncle Nick” and his staff has left many rugby league commentators wondering if Roosters HQ has fallen prey to the bird flu plague.
The Bondi-based club already possess a much more youthful halves-pairing for the foreseeable future, but rugby league shouldn’t be pushing Townsend out the door just yet.
Nor should they underestimate his ability to guide the next generation of athletes. The North Queensland halfback has the chance to add “mentor” to his NRL resume when he arrives in Sydney in 2025, despite raised eyebrows over the deal.
The ageing Cowboy isn’t the only older head in the game to ink a new one-year deal in recent weeks either, after 34-year-old Keiran Foran finally ended rumours and extended with the Titans.
Foran now joins St George Illawarra’s Ben Hunt as the only active players from the 2000s era still playing on at the highest-level next year. It seems these old dogs still have plenty to offer rugby league.
Although the new wave of stars aren’t lacking in excitement by any means, are there many names that stick out as future leaders of the game just yet?
Future stars, are one thing, but a leader is entirely different. They are much harder to come by. Those of them in the halves who can steer their teams around the park are an even rarer breed.
Enter Chad the Chook. With 258 games under his belt, he has done wonders for the Sharks and Cowboys, now resurgent and formidable competitors in recent years.
His unselfish reading of the game and work rate in the background also uniquely unlocks the potential of players around him, like we’ve seen with five-eighth Tom Dearden in recent years, now a mainstay Origin representative.
There’s also his not-so-small accomplishment of a maiden Cronulla premiership.
The smart-thinking half let opposing number seven Cooper Cronk take up all the attention against a near-unbeatable Melbourne side in the 2016 final. Townsend instead took home the winner’s ring.
While Paul Gallen may take the credit for it, Townsend’s quick shift away from a tight scrum to allow Gallen into a position to assist the first try inside 15 minutes remains fresh in my mind eight years on, as it was when I watched the play unfold at Homebush stadium.
Even more astounding is that Townsend wasn’t even entirely in on the move, using his quick intuition and instinct. That’s the sign of a great player.
Of 17 clubs in the NRL, there’s now only four of those premiership-winning halfbacks still left in the game from the last decade, one of those being Chad Townsend.
If a player of his calibre, with his achievements, isn’t the right person to watch over Sydney’s young talents Sam Walker and Sandon Smith, already coming into their own, then who is?
As the old saying goes, iron sharpens iron (Prov 27:17), and so older leaders must form new ones in order to build not just an evolving game, but a sustainable and good one.
The weekly pressures of NRL are highly underestimated by today’s eager youth. Short term deals like Townsend’s and Foran’s provide a steady perspective and guiding hand when it’s crunch time.
While they may not be guaranteed starters week in week out, come March next year, it’s these kinds of players who can turn a transitional period in their careers into a plus.
The game needs them as mentors for the next generation before they’re gone for good.
Expect great players like Townsend and Foran to close out their time by successfully passing on the torch of experience, footy IQ and what it means to be a leader of the game.
Rugby league careers come and go in an instant. You can be the rooster today and the feather-duster tomorrow. Even at the advanced age of 33, Chad still has some more time near the top of the pecking order.