Matt Lodge grateful to be playing for North Queensland Cowboys in US 11 years after violent home invasion
Lodge arrived in the US last week, two days before the rest of Todd Payten’s squad.
He was on the books at Manly when the Sea Eagles played in Las Vegas in 2024, but did not make the trip because he was recovering from knee surgery.
Cowboys coach Todd Payten watches on at the club’s first field session.Credit: Getty Images
Lodge told reporters his past still followed him, but coming back to the US finally “probably gives me a bit of closure”.
“I’m grateful that they let me back here. I’m probably a different person than when I came 11 years ago,” he said.
“I’ve got four kids at home, and I think I was 18 when it happened. I had a fake ID, and I was over here for a footy trip. It was a mistake. I wish it didn’t happen, but it did, and I’ve just got to get on with it.”
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Lodge said the Cowboys had been supportive of him while aware of the publicity his return to the US would generate.
He joined the club on a one-year contract after playing 12 NRL games for Manly last season, having also spent time at the Broncos, Warriors, and Roosters over the past eight years.
The veteran adds depth and experience to Payten’s forward pack as the Cowboys look to improve on a 12th-placed finish in 2025.
“Big Lodgey, he’s been great for the group … strange cat, but we all love him,” said Cowboys hooker Reed Mahoney, another new arrival in Townsville.
“I’m actually his [roommate] … honestly, I don’t know how he has four kids because I’m looking after him. He’s been great for us, and he’s well-experienced in the NRL, so he’s going to be a great addition to our team.”
The Cowboys will take on the Newcastle Knights in the first of two NRL round-one games at Las Vegas’ Allegiant Stadium this weekend.
