Chad Townsend has opened up on his decision to sign a three-year deal with the North Queensland Cowboys.
Townsend, 30, will leave Cronulla this off-season after six years with the Sharks having played a key role in the 2016 premiership.
The halfback joined Jimmy Smith on SEN 1170 Afternoons to explain why he made the call to move on.
“It was an extremely tough decision for myself, I’ve got three young kids and my wife who were at the forefront of my decision,” Townsend explained.
“It happened pretty quickly to be honest, over the last week or two I’ve spoken to the Cowboys … they showed some real interest in me and what I was about, then they sent over the offer and the offer was too good to refuse.
“The opportunity and the security that it gave me and my family to lock three years in to the NRL, those were the reasons for my decision.
“I met with Todd (Payten) and Michael Luck (Cowboys GM of football), they both had great things to say about what their vision was for the club and they wanted me to be a part of it.
“They were really after an organising halfback who was a leader and an established player, and I felt like I could add to that team.”
Townsend’s departure coincided with the announcement of newly appointed coach Craig Fitzgibbon and the halfback revealed that they spoke before the decision was finalised.
“I rang Fitzy and told him about the offer that I had on the table from the Cowboys,” Townsend said.
“I just wanted to be transparent about the whole thing, so I said I had a good deal on the table and I needed to make the decision.
“He mentioned to me that I was in his plans and he would love to coach me.
“I really appreciated those kind words from Fitzy, I’ve heard wonderful things about him.
“Yesterday I met again with him face to face and I met with him and our GM of football Darren Mooney that I’d made the decision to make the Cowboys offer.”
The toughest part of the decision was informing his teammates at Cronulla on Tuesday.
“It was tough, it was an emotional few days, probably headed by this morning when I told my teammates,” he added.
“That was probably one of the toughest things I’ve had to do, I’m just glad it’s all out there and it’s all done now and I can just focus on my football.”
Townsend will play out the season with Cronulla before moving to North Queensland before the 2022 season.
Listen to the full chat below.