Cowboys co-captain Tom Dearden has shown he’d have no trouble swapping footy boots for steel caps in the distant future when he’s ready to transition to a life after rugby league.
The superstar five-eighth looked right at home behind the wheel of a Caterpillar 796AC haul truck during a trip to the Carmichael coal mine in Queensland to shoot the new “Digging Coal, Kicking Goals” campaign that celebrates the platinum partnership between Bravus Mining and Resources and the Cowboys.
Dearden said the visit, including a lap of mining operations sitting in the haul truck’s trainer’s seat, gave him an even greater appreciation of what the partnership between the Townsville-headquartered business and National Rugby League (NRL) club meant to regional Queenslanders.
“My dad worked in the mines when I was growing up, so to have that connection and to see how much Bravus does to help the community and the people back in Mackay, which is in my hometown, is what makes them such a great company to work with and to be a part of,” Dearden said.
“Then when you get to go to Carmichael and meet so many great people working there, and you see how much the Cowboys mean to them, it just makes it extra special to be involved with Bravus and these campaigns.
a scene from the television campaign.
Image: Bravus
“The truck was massive; I don’t think many people get to go for a tour like that and drive down to the bottom of the pit, so that was a cool experience, but really it was just great to see how it all works firsthand and the way the team works with each other in that environment.
“That’s probably what impressed me the most and made it so attractive to me to want to go out there and work after footy. Hopefully, that can happen.”
Bravus Mining and Resources chief operating officer Mick Crowe said it was a thrill for Carmichael’s workforce to appear alongside Dearden in the campaign, and to see his passion for what they do.
Bravus Mining and Resources has been associated with the Cowboys since 2019, becoming a platinum partner of the NRL squad and presenting partner of the club’s Adopt-A-School program in 2021, and a major partner of the NRLW Cowboys in 2024.
“We’re all about regional Queensland,” Crowe said. “That’s where we came from, that’s where our support came from, and that’s where we channel our support.
“There’s no greater representation of regional Queensland than the Cowboys so to be able to support the club and what they do on and off the field is a perfect fit. This aligns with what we’re trying to do and aligns with what the people of North Queensland love and is something we’re incredibly proud of.
“Tom’s a great ambassador for North Queensland and heaps of our workforce are mad passionate about the Cowboys, so it was terrific to get him out on site among the crews, and for them to see how passionate he is about what they do.”
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