The constant pain of being separated from his young children and partner could force Blues enforcer James Tamou to quit the Cowboys at the end of this season.
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Tamou remains reluctant to walk away from North Queensland but the NSW prop confirms his long-term future remains uncertain as he looks to balance football with family commitments, with Canberra looming as a likely destination. Tamou is contracted to the Cowboys until the end of 2016, but is separated from partner Brittney McGlone, who gave birth to the couple's second son earlier this month.
The 26-year-old made it clear he does not want to leave the Cowboys.
"Townsville for sure [is where I want to play] if it was up to me, yeah, definitely Townsville, I've never said I wanted to leave, it's just because of things that have happened," Tamou said.
"I haven't seen my partner Brittany and my two little boys at home for so long just because they've been home in Canberra for so long. That's always playing on my mind. Brittany's from Canberra and her family's there and she's always there just because she misses her family and with the two boys."
Tamou expects to finalise his future at the end of the Origin series. He shares a close relationship with Raiders coach Ricky Stuart, who handed Tamou his first NSW jersey.
"He's unreal and I'd love to play under him," Tamou said. "I've told him that too, so we'll just have to see how that goes.
"I haven't really heard much from Canberra's end or the Cowboys' end. I think they'll just let me come into Origin camp and just let me concentrate on the game, so I think once I head back to Townsville I think I'll get some phone calls or go into the office and just sort it out."
Tamou will get the chance to reunite with his family when the Blues return to Sydney from their Coffs Harbour training base on Sunday. The Blues took part in an opposed training session on Saturday against a mixed side including the likes of Greg Bird, Ryan James and Matt Moylan, plus a handful of fringe NRL players such as Manly's Tom Trbojevic.
Tamou has been "very impressed" by Blues rookie Josh Jackson, who will start in the middle of the field as he replaces skipper Paul Gallen at lock on Wednesday night. It is a role Jackson has played sparingly for the Bulldogs, as he generally plays on an edge.
"He's just one person that sort of puts his head down and does his work," Tamou said. "Even in the video sessions he'll sort of say a few things that he's picked up on other players, so I've been very impressed.
"I don't think with Paul Gallen you can single it down to one person. We all have to chip in. It's up to our middles to sort of really knuckle down, really get that line speed going and put that pressure on the Queenslanders."
