Tom Dearden

Tom Dearden

Personal information
Full name	Thomas Dearden
Born	(2001-03-13) 13 March 2001 (age 23) Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia [1]
Height	177 cm (5 ft 10 in)
Weight	87 kg (13 st 10 lb)
Playing information
Position	Five-eighth, Halfback
Club Years Team Pld T G FG P 2019–21 Brisbane Broncos 22 2 0 0 8 2021– North Qld Cowboys 82 31 0 0 124 Total 104 33 0 0 132 Representative Years Team Pld T G FG P 2022–24 Queensland 4 0 0 0 0 2023 Prime Minister's XIII 1 0 0 0 0 2024 Australia 3 1 0 0 4
Source: [2] As of 18 October 2024

Thomas Dearden (born 13 March 2001) is an Australian professional rugby league footballer who captains and plays as a five-eighth for the North Queensland Cowboys in the National Rugby League (NRL).

He previously played for the Brisbane Broncos in the NRL as a halfback. He has played at representative level for Queensland in the State of Origin series.

Background

Dearden was born in Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia. ^[1]

He settled in Mackay and attended Mackay State High School until grade 10. He played junior rugby league for the Brothers Bulldogs Mackay before moving to the Gold Coast, where he played for the Currumbin Eagles and attended Palm Beach Currumbin State High School.^{[ citation needed ]}

Career

Early career

In 2016, Dearden played for the Mackay Cutters Cyril Connell Cup side. In 2017, he moved to the Gold Coast to play at the Currumbin Eagles in their undefeated U16 premiership winning side under the guise of ex Melbourne Storm player and now coach Matt Geyer. in the Currumbin U16 side, Dearden played alongside fellow Queensland team mate Xavier Coates and current Bulldogs half, Toby Sexton. Dearden represented the Queensland under-16 side. ^[3]

In 2018, he played for the Tweed Heads Seagulls Mal Meninga Cup side, who made it to the semi-finals of the competition, and later represented the Queensland under-18 team. ^{[4] [5]} Later that season, he was a member of Palm Beach Currumbin State High School's ARL Schoolboy Cup winning side, receiving the Peter Sterling Medal for player of the tournament. ^[6] In November and December 2018, he was a member of the Australian Schoolboys tour of England. ^[7]

2019

In Round 8 of the 2019 NRL season, Dearden made his NRL debut for the Brisbane Broncos against the South Sydney Rabbitohs. ^[8]

2020

Dearden made 12 appearances for Brisbane in the 2020 NRL season as the club suffered their worst ever year both on and off the field culminating in the club's first Wooden Spoon. ^[9]

2021

Dearden began the 2021 season playing for the Souths Logan Magpies in the Queensland Cup, before being recalled into the Brisbane side in Round 3. ^{[10] [11]}

On 26 April, he signed a three-year contract with the North Queensland Cowboys, starting in 2022. ^[12] On 29 May, he secured an immediate release from the Brisbane Broncos to join the North Queensland Cowboys for the remainder of the 2021 NRL season. ^[13]

Dearden made his North Queensland debut in round 14 against Manly-Warringah in a 50-18 defeat. ^[14]

In Round 20, Dearden played his first game against his ex club Brisbane Broncos, Dearden scored a try in the 37-18 loss. In round 24, North Queensland defeated St. George Illawarra 38-26. It was Dearden's first win at the club and first win in any NRL match since round 3 when he was at Brisbane, ending 14 losses in a row as a player. ^[15]

2022

Following a strong start to the season for North Queensland, Dearden was selected in the extended Queensland Maroons squad for Game 1 of State of Origin in Sydney. ^[16] In Game 2, he was named 18th man before making his debut at Five-Eighth in the decider for Game 3 where Queensland emerged victorious 22-12. ^[17] On May 16 during Magic round, Dearden famously got into a physical altercation with Alex Twal resulting in both players being sin binned. Dearden played 23 matches for North Queensland in the 2022 NRL season as the club finished third on the table and qualified for the finals. He played in both finals matches including their preliminary final loss to Parramatta. ^[18]

2023

In round 11 of the 2023 NRL season, Dearden scored two tries for North Queensland in their 42-22 victory over St. George Illawarra. ^[19] He was 18th Man for the Queensland Maroons in Game I of the 2023 State of Origin series. Dearden played 23 games for North Queensland in the 2023 NRL season as the club finished 11th on the table. ^[20] On 19 December, Dearden signed a contract extension to remain at North Queensland until the end of 2029. ^[21]

2024

In round 11 of the 2024 NRL season, Dearden scored two tries for North Queensland in their 28-22 victory over the bottom placed South Sydney side. ^[22]

With Cameron Munster injured, Dearden was named as five-eighth for Queensland ahead of game one in the 2024 State of Origin series. ^[23] Dearden played 24 games for North Queensland in the 2024 NRL season as they finished 5th on the table. Dearden played in both finals games for North Queensland as they were eliminated in the second week by Cronulla. On 2 October, Dearden won the Dally M five-eighth of the year award. ^[24]

On 18 October, Dearden made his Test debut for Australia, starting at five-eighth and scoring a try in their 18–0 win over Tonga in the Pacific Championships. ^[25] On 10 November, Dearden was named Player of the Match in Australia's Pacific Championship final win over Tonga. ^[26]

References

1. "Official NRL Profile of Tom Dearden". cowboys.com.au. Retrieved 21 October 2022.
2. Tom Dearden - Rugby League Project Profile
3. "TEAM ANNOUNCEMENT - Queensland Under-16s". New South Wales Rugby League. 2 July 2017.
4. "Broncos' teen sensation likened to JT". National Rugby League. 12 February 2019.
5. "Queensland Under 18 team". Queensland Rugby League. 21 May 2018.
6. "Schoolboy Cup provides perfect pathway to NRL". National Rugby League. 2 May 2019.
7. Lutton, Phil (1 May 2019). "Schoolboy heroes a decade apart, Walker and Dearden meet on the big stage". The Sydney Morning Herald.
8. "Round 8 NRL squad announcements". NRL.com. 1 May 2019.
9. "Brisbane get wooden spoon as North Queensland finish on a high". www.nrl.com. 24 September 2020.
10. "Tom Dearden stars alongside Kevin Locke as Karmichael Hunt makes return to rugby league". Fox Sports. 21 March 2021.
11. "Broncos end 259 day drought, Kevvie's perplexing halves call: 3 Big Hits". Fox Sports. 27 March 2021.
12. "Cowboys sign Dearden". NQ Cowboys. 26 April 2021.
13. "Dearden to join Cowboys with immediate effect". NQ Cowboys. 29 May 2021.
14. "Cronulla Sharks pip Penrith Panthers 19-18, Manly Sea Eagles thrash North Queensland Cowboys 50-18". ABC News. 11 June 2021.
15. "Parramatta ends Melbourne Storm's 19-match NRL winning streak as Cronulla, North Queensland celebrate victories". ABC News. 28 August 2021.
16. "QRL Confirms Harvey Norman Queensland Maroons Squad". www.qrl.com.au. 5 June 2022.
17. "'Tad ridiculous': Fittler questions Burton binning". www.nrl.com. 13 July 2022.
18. "'See it in their eyes': The late-season pact and 'massive sacrifice' behind Eels surge". www.foxsports.com.au. 23 September 2022.
19. "Raiders beat Parramatta Eels in Canberra, Rabbitohs and Cowboys also win". ABC News. 13 May 2023.
20. "NRL 2023: North Queensland Cowboys season review". www.sportingnews.com.
21. "Dearden signs long-term extension". www.cowboys.com.au.
22. "Magic Round Saturday: Sharks, Cowboys and Knights record wins on another day of tight NRL contests". www.abc.net.au.
23. "Maroons squad named for Origin Game I". QRL. 6 June 2024.
24. "The Mole: Cowboys show improvement in 2024 but worrying finals stat sparks thorny question". www.nine.com.au.
25. "Dearden knows a sterner Test is coming for the Roos". NRL.com. 22 October 2024.
26. "Man who turned final on its head; why Turbo's game could have been even bigger". Fox Sports. 10 November 2024.

External links

• NRL profile