KEY POINTS:
Frustrated North Queensland chief executive Peter Parr would love to sign Matt Bowen for the rest of his NRL playing career but it's not that simple.
Parr was irked at calls from former Australian captain Gorden Tallis and others for the club to move quickly to lock popular superstar Bowen into a new long-term deal, saying it took some focus off the Cowboys' sudden-death semi-final with the NZ Warriors today.
Off contract after next season, Bowen has already been linked to the Sydney Roosters in 2009 and Tallis urged the Cowboys to act well before rivals came knocking.
Parr said the Cowboys were well aware of Bowen's worth, not just as a footballer who can score tries from anywhere but also his impact off the field.
"We'd love him to play his whole career here but let's not forget Matthew has a say, too," Parr told AAP. "We can't force him to sign here for the next 10 years.
""I've said it on a number of occasions that if there's one player I'd hate to see play for another club it would, of course, be Matthew.
"He epitomises what this club is about. He grew up in Hopevale, came here as a teenager, went through our development system and has played for his state and country since coming into the NRL.
"He's one of the genuine superstars of the game - of course we want to keep him, we want to keep him for as long as we can.
"But we have to fit 24 other players into our salary cap and we already have another superstar (captain Jonathan Thurston) here."
Parr said Bowen's last contract talks were "protracted" and both parties had learned something.
"He's fairly well remunerated already," said Parr. "We understand his standing in the game, we understand his worth to the team and to the community. But, as in all negotiations, there has to be some common sense about what you offer, because he's still got to have someone in front of him taking the hitups."
While rival clubs could begin approaching Bowen in a couple of months, the Cowboys have time to persuade him he should remain.
"They could start approaching him from November but he can't sign a contract," Parr said. "He could possibly agree to terms but we have until round 13 next season to convince him to stay."
Teammate Ty Williams reckoned players and fans loved Bowen so much they wouldn't let him out of the city if he signed with another NRL club.
"North Queensland fans would love it if they signed him for life," said Williams. "I don't think any of the boys would let him leave and getting out of North Queensland would be another struggle."
