Reuben Cotter

Reuben Cotter was born in Mackay and played his junior footy with the Sarina Crocs. Cotter attended Sarina State High School and was later signed by the North Queensland Cowboys academy.

In 2014, Cotter was named Captained Queensland U16 side to a 20-18 victory over New South Wales. The following year Cotter featured for the Queensland U18 side in their 22-18 victory over New South Wales and was later selected in the Australian School boys side.

"Anyone who has heard me talk about Reuben this year understands how important I see his role in a footy team and he was one of the first guys I wrote down,"

Billy Slater FOG# 142

Cotter was plagued with injuries, succumbing to ACL injuries in 2017 and 2018. The former Sarina Croc made a name for himself in the Hostplus Cup completion with Mackay Cutters, scoring nine tries in 16 games. Later that season Cotter made his NRL debut for the Cowboys and went on to play five games in his rookie season.

Cotter played a handful of games for the Cowboys between 2019 and 2021, before becoming a mainstay in the side in 2022. Off the back of his form he was selected in the 2022 State of Origin side, and made his debut at lock in Game 1 of the series.

The Cowboys forward finished off a massive year with selection in the Kangaroos squad for the 2021 World Cup. Cotter made his international debut for Australia off the bench in their opening fixture against Fiji.

Cotter started the 2023 season with strong form which saw him selected in the Maroons squad for Game I of the series, where he claimed Man of the Match honours. 

The Cowboys forward played a key role in securing back-to-back series victories for the Maroons and was awarded the Wally Lewis Medal for player of the series. Cotter was later awarded the Ron McAullife Medal as Queensland's best player for 2023. Cotter capped off a strong season with selection in the Kangaroos squad in the Pacific Championships.