In the wake of re-signing with the North Queensland Cowboys until 2021, Paul Green has restated his desire to coach the Queensland Maroons in the future.
After guiding the Cowboys to their maiden premiership in 2015 Green was approached by the QRL to coach the Maroons in the Holden State of Origin series but spurned the opportunity to focus on the Cowboys.
Kevin Walters was ultimately offered the job but Green said coaching Queensland still remained on his agenda.
"I've always said that that's a goal of mine … at the moment my immediate focus is on the Cowboys but if that opportunity was to come up down the track hopefully one day I might be able to have a crack at it," Green said at the announcement of his re-signing as Cowboys head coach.
The Cowboys face some massive challenges in the future, with the retirement of Johnathan Thurston at the end of the season to test Green.
"Whenever any club has a player such as JT go through that retirement process, how you handle that can be challenging. I am looking forward to it and I think we're well-placed to handle that," he said.
"I think there's still plenty for this squad and club to achieve and I would very much like to be a part of that."
The re-signing comes during a tough period for the Cowboys, with five losses and one win placing them in 15th on the Telstra Premiership ladder. Club chairman Laurence Lancini insists Green was the best man to dig them out of their slump.
"Obviously we're not happy with where we are from a win-loss point of view at this stage but ultimately you're judged on how you finish the season not the way you start it," he said.
"We think he's the best for the job, and of course there's expectations, just like we've achieved over the past years that he's been here."
Lancini declined to disclose Green's remuneration, which has been widely reported as $2.8 million over three years.
"I don't think we're at liberty to disclose the amount but as far as I'm concerned the club has agreed to a figure that is sustainable for the club and what other coaches of a similar level of Paul are being paid," he said.
Lancini said the Cowboys had exclusively negotiated with Green for the job.
"We've never spoken to any other coach, and there was no intention to," Lancini said.
"I've urged Paul and his management that we really needed to resolve this agreement sooner rather than later, and obviously if it wasn't resolved in the right fashion we would probably have to look at talking to someone else.
"There's never been an ultimatum. I don't deal in ultimatums."
Green reiterated his earlier public comments about always intending to stay at North Queensland despite the Brisbane Broncos approaching him unofficially through a third party about his interest.
"I said from the outset that my intention was always to try and get the deal done here," Green said.
