Todd Payten

Todd Payten (born 18 January 1979 in Parramatta, New South Wales) is a former Australian professional rugby league footballer and current assistant coach for the North Queensland Cowboys in the National Rugby League (NRL). He previously played for the Wests Tigers, Sydney Roosters and Canberra Raiders in the National Rugby League competition. He primarily played at prop-forward.

Playing career

Canberra Raiders

Raised in Temora, New South Wales, Payten signed a scholarship with the Canberra Raiders when he was 16 and attended Erindale College. While attending Erindale, he represented the Australian Schoolboys in 1996.

Payten had played just 2 reserve grade games for the Raiders when he made his first grade debut with the club in 1996 as a 17-year-old.

Over the next few years he gradually made more appearances for the Raiders, initially playing from the bench, until he cemented a position as starting prop in 2000. He was a member of the Raiders team that played semi final football in 1997, 1998, 2000 and 2002.