North Queensland have extended the NRL contracts of seasoned forwards Glenn Hall and Scott Bolton while also showing faith in young Cowboys Ethan Lowe and Zac Santo.
Coming off an uplifting 30-12 upset of frontrunners South Sydney, the Cowboys announced the new deals on Monday.
Journeyman Hall, 32, extended his stay in Townsville by an extra year, while fellow second-rower Bolton and rookie Lowe re-signed for two more seasons.
Fullback Santo, a member of the Queensland Junior Origin squad, was rewarded for his fine form in the Under-20 competition with his own two-year deal.
The 20-year-old was a member of the Cowboys’ 2011 NYC grand final team and was their player of 2012 but had his 2013 campaign halted by appendix surgery last month.
“I think everyone has been impressed with the way Ethan and Zac have developed their games in the past couple of years and there’s no doubt their best football is ahead of them,” said Cowboys football manager Peter Parr.
“Hally and Bolts are the type of no-fuss, hard-working forwards that every club needs and will continue to provide great service to the Cowboys.”
Thirteenth-placed North Queensland are currently searching for a new coach for 2014 after last week advising Neil Henry his services would not be required again.