How recruitment chief Peter Parr helped keep Johnathan Thurston at Cowboys Cowboys recruitment chief Peter Parr. Source: The Sunday Mail (Qld) IT is the remarkable private pact that convinced Johnathan Thurston to sacrifice $1.2 million to stay at the Cowboys, and stamped Peter Parr among the NRL's most influential negotiators. The Cowboys recruitment chief prefers to operate in the shadows, wheeling and dealing in a no-nonsense style that has seen him deliver 23 players and a coach (Neil Henry) to the Townsville club in the past decade. But without Parr, Thurston would have almost certainly accepted a $5.2 million package to spearhead Penrith's planned revival under club supremo Phil Gould next season. The Sunday Mail can reveal Thurston agreed to re-sign with the Cowboys last month on the proviso that Parr, as football manager, remained at the club during the term of his new four-year deal. The agreement is not enshrined in a formal clause in Thurston's contract. Instead, it is a handshake deal between the pair, who have forged a close bond since Parr met Thurston and his manager Sam Ayoub at a Coogee cafe in 2004 to lure him from the Bulldogs. While weighing up his future late last year, Thurston had heard of several NRL rivals, headed by Parramatta, approaching Parr offering a front-office position. When Parr rebuffed the Eels, it was the final hurdle in Thurston agreeing to sign a $1m-a-season deal with the Cowboys. Since re-committing to the club, Parr has brokered a number of critical deals, with James Tamou, Matt Scott and halfback Michael Morgan rejecting more lucrative offers to stay. But it is the Thurston contract that carries special significance. "If 'Parry' had left the Cowboys, no doubt I would likely have followed," Thurston said. Thankfully, he has remained in Townsville for another four years and that will probably see my contract out. He brought me to the club when 'Muz' (former coach Graham Murray) was here and he's a big part of the reason why I've remained in Townsville. Parry's just got that trust about him. He's like a father figure for a lot of the boys and has their best interests at heart. He will do anything for the players and I've seen it first-hand with what he's done for me. Parr downplays his role but his eye for talent is unquestionable. Aside from poaching Thurston, he signed Scott as a teenager from the tiny central-west Queensland town of Ilfracombe and threw Tamou a lifeline when he was jettisoned by the Roosters in 2009. Parr points out there are other NRL clubs, namely Melbourne and the Broncos, who also boast impressive recruitment and retention records. But since joining the Cowboys in 2002, Parr has built a veritable blue-chip portfolio. At a time when the club was derided as a retirement home, Parr instituted a new culture with the signings of Scott, Matt Sing, Paul Rauhihi and Kevin Campion. He has since attracted the likes of Luke O'Donnell, Shane Tronc, Travis Norton, Steve Southern, Carl Webb, Willie Tonga, Brent Tate, Dallas Johnson and the Sims brothers, Tariq and Ashton. Of the 23 recruits, 15 have played Origin or Tests. He also snared Henry, brokering a five-year deal after he took an unheralded Canberra outfit to the playoffs. "Peter certainly has a knack for negotiation," says Cowboys boss Peter Jourdain. When the club went broke in 2001 and News Limited took over, we set about rebuilding the club and Parry was a big part of that. He has a great track record of signing and keeping players and it's by no means a fluke. He can understand people from different backgrounds. He cares about players, their families and the off-field stuff translates into on-field performances. Former Cowboys CEO and recruitment chief Peter Parr has signed 23 players and coach Neil Henry in the past 11 seasons. Of the group, 12 finished Origin players and four as Kiwi Test reps. 2002: Matt Sing, Matt Scott 2003: Paul Rauhihi, Kevin Campion 2004: Luke O'Donnell, Shane Tronc, David Faiumu, Travis Norton, Steve Southern 2005: Johnathan Thurston, Justin Smith, Carl Webb, 2009: Willie Tonga, James Tamou, Neil Henry (coach). 2011: Brent Tate, Antonio Winterstein, Dallas Johnson, Kalifa Faifai Loa, Glenn Hall, Tariq Sims, Ashton Sims, Gavin Cooper 2012: Kane Linnett