Charman joins Cowboys coaching staff

CHARMAN JOINS COWBOYS' COACHING STAFF

Brisbane Lions premiership ruckman Jamie Charman has accepted a new position but this time with a rugby league club, coming on board as the North Queensland Toyota Cowboys' kicking and catching coach.

Charman, who retired from the AFL this year, will periodically visit Cowboys training and keep track of the performance of the team each week in his new part-time role which has the blessing of the Lions, who employ the 29-year-old as a ruck coach and in their corporate business department.

The unique arrangement will start on Saturday morning when Charman joins the Cowboys' final training session of the third week of pre-season training at Dairy Farmers Stadium.

Cowboys General Manager - Football Peter Parr said Charman's appointment represented another significant step forward for North Queensland as the club seeks to improve on its seventh place finish from 2011.

He said the coaching staff had identified the NRL and NYC teams' kicking and catching of the ball as two areas which needed extra focus during training and improvement on game day.

Parr approached AFL great Leigh Matthews for advice on who may be available to help the Cowboys with expert tuition and he suggested Charman who played under Matthews in the Lions' 2003 premiership team.

After making his debut in 2001, Charman, who is a proud Queenslander, played 129 matches for Brisbane in a career which was unluckily hampered by injuries.