He’s only 21, but Tom Dearden returns to Brisbane with the Cowboys on Sunday a very different player to the one who departed with a broken spirit 10 months ago.
Dearden left the Broncos having lost 15 straight games as a starting halfback – his confidence at rock bottom.
Life at the Cowboys didn’t start much brighter, with another streak of 10 losses.
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But after an off-season under the maestro – Johnathan Thurston – Dearden seems to have come of age.
He was the Cowboys’ most dangerous player in the narrow first-round loss to the Bulldogs and then combined superbly with veteran Chad Townsend to lead the team to an upset victory over Canberra last weekend.
But the big test – on the field and psychologically – will come against the Broncos on Sunday.
“Tom had a tough time since he debuted in 2019 at the Broncos but he is maturing nicely,” Cowboys coach Todd Payten told Wide World of Sports.
“Working with ‘JT’ (Thurston) has been great for him, as has playing alongside a seasoned campaigner like Chad.
“He’s a different kid now.
“He’s still only 21 and learning all the time and is a competitor – I think there are a lot of good times ahead for him.”
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