Aaron Payne

On 28 September 2018, he was named as head coach of the Townsville Blackhawks, signing a two-year contract. He replaced inaugural head coach Kristian Woolf.

On 20 November 2015, Payne was named as head coach of the North Queensland Cowboys under-20 side. He coached the side for two seasons, taking them to the finals in both years, before the competition was ended.

In 2012 Payne was called into the NRL All Stars squad—the first representative selection of his career. He was selected as a replacement for the injured Cameron Smith, who for years had kept Payne out of the Queensland State of Origin squad.

In August 2012, Payne announced that he would retire from rugby league at the end of the 2012 season.

In 2011 it was announced Aaron Payne had re-signed with the Cowboys until the 2012 season. Payne played his 200th NRL game in North Queensland's Round 6 loss to the Melbourne Storm at home.

In 2006 and 2008, he was named as the Cowboys' Player of the Year. He joined that award with the Cowboys' players' player of the year and club person of the year in 2008. He is also the Cowboys' vice captain.

After a couple of seasons playing through niggling injuries, Payne returned to 'somewhere near' his best form, Payne's experience for the Cowboys has helped the younger players in the team blossom, Payne has often been called under-rated by Rugby League journalists and was recently awarded 4 Dally M points in the space of two weeks, including three against the Canberra Raiders where he recorded 2 try-assists, 4 line break assists, 1 linebreak, 30 tackles and 105 metres. Although Payne hasn't reached the career heights he enjoyed in seasons 2004-09 he is getting there.

In 2003 Payne represented the Queensland Residents side in the Queensland Cup which resulted to his rise in the NRL. Payne had come close to representing Queensland at origin level a number of times but Melbourne's Cameron Smith was in his way.

Payne started his first-grade career with the Cowboys in 2002. During the 2005 North Queensland Cowboys season, he was the only player to have played every game that year. He played at hooker in the 2005 NRL Grand Final, the Cowboys' first, which they lost to the Wests Tigers.

Aaron Payne (born 18 November 1982) is an Australian rugby league coach and former professional player who is the head coach of the Townsville Blackhawks in the Intrust Super Cup. A hooker, he played for the North Queensland Cowboys in the National Rugby League (NRL) throughout his professional career.

Born in Townsville, Queensland, Payne played as a junior for the Centrals Tigers club and attended Kirwan State High School. His father represented Queensland in 1979.