TOWNSVILLE, AUSTRALIA – APRIL 21: Jake Granville of the Cowboys looks to pass the ball during the round seven NRL match between the North Queensland Cowboys and the Gold Coast Titans at 1300SMILES Stadium on April 21, 2018 in Townsville, Australia. (Photo by Ian Hitchcock/Getty Images)
North Queensland Cowboys hooker turned utility Jake Granville is reportedly set to extend his time in Townsville by 12 months.
The 33-year-old, who was the club’s number one option during their famous 2015 premiership-winning season having only joined the club that year from the Brisbane Broncos, has played 177 NRL games – 167 of them for the Cowboys.
Now behind Reece Robson in the pecking order to wear the number nine jersey in Townsville, Granville has spent recent seasons reinventing himself into a genuine utility.
Playing everywhere from hooker to the backline and in the forward pack, Granville has played 11 games from the bench this season, with his longest performance coming during Round 15 when he played 46 minutes against the Manly Sea Eagles.
The Daily Telegraph report that Granville’s career will be extended by a season with a one-year extension on the table from the Cowboys given his utility value off the bench.
It’s tipped Granville’s only other option to continue at the top level would be to move to the English Super League, although it’s unclear if that is a move he would entertain.
A routinely named valuable member of the team and wider squad given his experience, the Rockhampton-born veteran is one of only four players from the grand final squad – with Jason Taumalolo, Coen Hess and Kyle Feldt the only other three players who were contracted to the Cowboys that year.
It was, however, the debut season for Hess, with the now middle forward only playing a single game in 2015 before breaking onto the scene in 2016.
Granville was a focal point of the team up until the end of 2019, playing 25 games in 2016 and 24 in each of 2017, 2018 and 2019, before being reduced to just eight games in 2020.
His utility value shone brightly in 2021 by playing all 24 games, with Granville’s speed and running game out of dummy half replaced by a steely determination to make a mark for the side off the bench.
Source:: ZeroTackle
