North Queensland hooker Reece Robson has parlayed a career-best season into a two-year contract extension that keeps him in Townsville until at least the end of 2025.
Robson, 24, became a fully fledged 80-minute player this year and helped hoist the Cowboys from second-last in 2021 to within one victory of the grand final.
A linchpin in the middle for North Queensland, Robson broke Dallas Johnson's record for most tackles by a Cowboys player in a season, with 1101 across 26 games this year.
NSW coach Brad Fittler selected Robson in his extended squad for the 2022 State of Origin decider and Australia coach Mal Meninga named him as one of five contenders for the two hooker spots for the World Cup.
While he was ultimately not picked for representative game time this year, Cowboys general manager of football Micheal Luck said Robson was nevertheless "a cornerstone" of the Cowboys at club level.
The Cowboys have now secured the future of their first-choice spine, with halves Chad Townsend and Tom Dearden signed until the end of 2024 and fullback Scott Drinkwater locked in until 2027.
"(Robson) brings enthusiasm and intensity every day at training and we believe he is one of the best hookers in the game currently," Luck said.
"We are really excited to see how Reece continues to develop over the next three seasons."
Robson joined the Cowboys in 2020 after two seasons with St George Illawarra and has since played 64 of his 73 NRL games for the North Queensland club.