North Queensland’s rising star Jaxon Purdue is poised to test the open market later this year, opening the door to a possible move away from the Cowboys.
The 20-year-old Mackay junior, who made his NRL debut last season, has held off on signing an extension as he weighs up his options ahead of the 2027 campaign.
The club reportedly offered Purdue fresh terms in May, but his management has opted to wait until November before engaging in talks with rival teams. That decision will allow the versatile back, who has already impressed in both the centres and halves, to gauge his value across the league.
A rapid rise in Townsville
Purdue’s development has been one of North Queensland’s success stories of recent seasons. He burst out of the blocks in 2025 with seven tries in the opening nine rounds and closed the year in equally sharp form, crossing four times in his final four appearances.
Cowboys GM of Football Michael Luck said the club remains eager to retain their young talent. “We’d love Jaxon to play his career out at the Cowboys,” Luck told News Corp. “He is a Mackay junior who's come through and ticked every box on the way through. He's had a pretty rapid rise.
“We're hopeful of working through it with Nal (Wijesekera) and Sam (Ayoub, Purdue's agents) and coming up with something Jaxon is happy with and gives him security for the long-term.”