SUPER LEAGUE-LINKED Manly Sea Eagles forward Karl Lawton will make the surprise move to the North Queensland Cowboys on a two-year deal.
Lawton had been linked with a move to the London Broncos earlier this year with the Super League club just one of two sides still possessing a spare quota spot.
However, the move for the hooker/second-rower fell through with Lawton now signing for NRL side North Queensland.
Cowboys football manager Michael Luck confirmed the signing of Lawton to the Daily Telegraph: “We’re pleased to have Karl coming to us next year,” Luck said.
“We’ve already got Reece Robson who we think is a top-end hooker in the NRL and we have some good young kids coming through.
“Karl will fill that support role for Reece and also be a good mentor for our young players who will be NRL-ready in the coming years.
“We like Karl’s competitiveness. eHe does everything defensively that Todd (Payten, Cowboys coach) likes in a player so we’re looking forward to having him.”
Lawton made his NRL debut with the Gold Coast Titans in 2016, playing 12 games for the club before moving to the New Zealand Warriors, where he registered 33 appearances between 2018-20.
The 27-year-old joined Manly in 2021 and is just 14 appearances away from making his 100th this Saturday against the Titans at Cbus Super Stadium.
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