Gunnedah's Kurt Fisher 'loves it' in Townsville

It was a time when he could see the finish line after a 12-year marathon, when he was unburdened by doubts about his future: he knew exactly what he wanted to achieve, and was ideally placed to do it.

Now, nine months after graduating from the Cathedral College in Rockhampton, the Townsville Cowboys Young Gun is deep into his debut Hastings Dearing Colts under-21 season.

Based in the North Queensland capital as he pursues his NRL dream, the Gunnedah-raised 18-year-old has spoken about his concerted effort to add kilograms to his 199 centimetre, 100kg frame, and how the Cowboys are exercising patience with him; how they view him as a work in progress.

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On Saturday, Fisher will play second-row for Cowboys feeder club the Townsvillle Blackhawks in a Hastings Dearing Colts clash against the Northern Pride in Cairns. He has been a starting back-rower all season in the fourth-placed side and reigning premiers.

A self-described laidback and happy person, Fisher has detailed the difference between his life pre-2023 and now.

"You can play footy seriously," he said of high school. "But you sort of have a little bit of fun on the side. It's not as serious."

"But I'm still happy here now, obviously."

However, he added: "When you leave school, it's a bit more of a reality check ... Living by yourself, you've got a lot more challenges - and I was at a homestay there [Rockhampton]."

Fisher now shares a home with two fellow Cowboys and works at Dulux. He said he "loves it" in Townsville.

"There's heaps of good people. It's not much of a difference to Rocky, really; it's sort of a big country town."

Fisher's contract runs until the end of the 2024 season. His goal is to secure a development deal with the Cowboys, which would put him just outside the 30-man NRL squad but still give him a chance of playing NRL.

"Keep working away and hopefully I get there," he said of the NRL. "They want me to do extra gym and just keep trying to get bigger."

The Cowboys "don't really wanna rush me into anything", he said, adding: "I've got heaps of time."

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