James Tamou urges Cowboys teammate Matt Scott to give Eels the slip Having missed out on the signature of James Tamou (L) the Eels are now chasing Matt Scott (R). Ben Ikin and Paul Kent run the rule over North Queensland Cowboys ahead of the 2013 NRL season. North Queensland Cowboys are keeping a close eye on the Michael Jennings saga, with Penrith rumoured to be preparing a big money play for Johnathan Thurston. JAMES Tamou has urged front-row cohort Matt Scott to follow his lead and stay loyal to the Cowboys in the face of a massive $2 million-plus offer from Parramatta. D-Day is approaching for Scott, with North Queensland recruitment boss Peter Parr conceding last night the club "can't do any more" to table a deal that is palatable to the Maroons enforcer. The Eels have offered Scott a multi-year contract in the vicinity of $650,000 a season, but the Cowboys remain confident of keeping their man, just as they did in December when Parramatta coach Ricky Stuart went hard for Tamou. Despite the Eels' big-money advances, Tamou maintained faith in the Cowboys by signing a three-year upgrade and the Test enforcer implored Scott to follow suit to keep their front-row alliance intact. "If there is anyone I want to stay, it is Matt Scott," said Tamou, who will turn out for the NRL All Stars at Suncorp Stadium on Saturday night. We haven't spoken much about his future but he is very much a Queensland sort of boy and I can't see him leaving Queensland to go to Parramatta. I'm quietly confident (Scott will stay), but who knows? He might want an opportunity. Personally, I wanted to repay the club for what they've done for me and my family and Scotty is a pretty loyal guy. I'm pretty confident the Cowboys can accommodate his needs and keep us together in the front row. While the Eels are keen to recruit Scott for 2014, South Sydney remain in the hunt as they plan for life after Kiwi Test bookend Roy Asotasi. Scott's manager Wayne Beavis said the Cowboys prop was mulling over several factors, including whether he could secure more lucrative post-football opportunities in Sydney. Scott, who turns 28 in July, is mindful the next deal he signs could be his last in the NRL. What's Matt's brand awareness in Townsville? Nothing against Townsville, but the corporates there don't throw money around," Beavis said. To be honest, Matt has a better chance of getting third-party sponsorships in Sydney than he has in Townsville. I'm not saying for one minute that is the main factor, but it's one of the things we have to consider. That is a distinct disadvantage for the Cowboys. "We've got a new financial landscape in the NRL, this could be his final contract so he is looking at all his options," Beavis said. Everyone we have spoken to is genuine. If he was daunted by moving to Sydney, we wouldn't be going through the negotiations. Parr remains hopeful of keeping Scott but with the club also attempting to secure Johnathan Thurston, Dallas Johnson, Brent Tate, Matt Bowen and Glenn Hall, he lacks the bargaining power of cashed-up rivals. "We are getting to the stage where we can't do much more to convince him to stay," Parr said. Because Matt has been so good to us over the years, we haven't put a lot of pressure on him making a decision, but we need a decision soon. We remain pretty confident we will keep Matt.