North Queensland coach Todd Payten has offered a strange explanation for stripping gun forward Jason Taumalolo of the club captaincy.

And he’s conceded both Taumalolo and Chad Townsend were “surprised” when told they would no longer be co-captains, before the announcement of Tom Dearden and Reuben Cotter to the roles on Sunday.

“Looking at our group, a few guys right at the back end of their career and over the course of the next 12 months or next two seasons, they won’t be here for a number of reasons and we needed to make a shift in that regard so that we had enough time to give the support that Tommy and Reubs need to develop into the best captain they can be when all that experience is gone.”

But Payten’s explanation doesn’t exactly stack up when considering Taumalolo has four years remaining on his contract in Townsville and is only 30.

The superstar Tongan lock won the Dally M Medal in 2016, a premiership with the Cowboys in 2015, and has been the club’s season medal winner six times in the past decade.

But his relationship with Payten has been a point of contention ever since the latter took the coaching reins in 2021. Payten controversially limited Taumalolo’s playing minutes and experimented with him in positions other than lock.

As a result Taumalolo’s on-field stats declined dramatically after Payten’s appointment. Now he’s also lost the captaincy.

“They were a little bit surprised, but they understood where I was coming from,” Payten told Triple M of Taumalolo and Townsend.

“Both those guys have shown great humility around the decision and they’re willing and want us to be successful.”

Dearden, meantime, has become the youngest full-time captain in Cowboys history in a sign of the club’s faith in the star playmaker.

At 22, Dearden will be younger than Johnathan Thurston when he took over the all-important job, with the five-eighth set to lead North Queensland alongside Cotter.

The one-time State of Origin representative has taken his game to new heights in recent years, brushing off a rocky start with the Broncos and some early jitters in Townsville.

Dearden is now regarded as one of the elite No.6s in the competition and in an interview with Wide World of Sports radio he explained why the progression into a leadership role was a perfect fit.

“It’s a great honour, it’s a great club and it’s a great region … I’m very proud to be the new co-captain,” he said.

“Playing in the halves, you have to talk a lot and direct a lot on the field, so I guess that part comes quite naturally.

“I also just want to be a leader that gives it everything he’s got each week and leads by example. That’s what hopefully both me and Reubs can become as leaders.

“It was a dream of mine to play in the NRL, let alone be a captain of an NRL side. When I reflect on that and the journey, it’s really special and I am really proud of myself to be in this position.

With just 80 games of first grade experience to Dearden’s name, you could have forgiven the Cowboys for sticking with veterans Townsend and Taumalolo in the captaincy roles, but the move shows a clear changing of the guard under the tutelage of Payten.

Another major change for the Cowboys has seen Dean Young move on from his position as assistant coach and return home to the Dragons, opening the door for James Maloney to join the club.

“It’s been awesome,” Dearden said.

“We all know the player (Maloney) was and he’s only retired just last year, so to be able to have someone that played the game recently to come into the coaching staff has been great.

“Him having played in the halves and being able to work closely with him and pick his brain – he picks up a lot of things that I haven’t noticed yet.

“He’s been great and I’ve learned so much from him in such a short period of time.”

Maloney won premierships with the Roosters and Sharks during his storied on-field career, as well as helping guide the likes of Nathan Cleary and Jarome Luai into first grade during a stint at Penrith.