Our favourite kiwi NRL player has put an end to one of the trickiest contract decisions of 2016. Aussie Jim, or James Tamou as he's otherwise known will be leaving North Queensland at the end of this season and he'll be making the journey south to Penrith where he'll join a gang of actual kiwi lads who are all blessed with youth. It's hard not to like what's gonna happen here, even for the Cowboys.

This has been a tricky contract saga because it appeared as though Tamou genuinely didn't want to leave the Cowboys. The need to be closer to family was widely reported as a key factor in Tamou's decision and we can safely assume that the Panthers offered Tamou more that what the Cowboys would have as the Cowboys have to pay Jonathan Thurston, Matt Scott, Jason Taumalolo, Lachlan Coote and Michael Morgan while the Panthers don't have a player of such calibre besides Matt Moylan.

Money would have been a factor, but the Cowboys would still have made Tamou a decent offer and the opportunity to win a few more Premierships. That's where we see the weight of Tamou's whanau situation come through as he's effectively giving up a possible mini-dynasty as Thurston's career winds down, to go the whanau route. That takes courage, so good on the lad.

This isn't ideal for the Cowboys as Tamou is among the NRL's best props and it was interesting to hear coach Paul Green discuss Tamou on NRL 360. Green said that Tamou gives the Cowboys a different body-shape/size to Scott and Taumalolo (they're all different) which makes tackling either one of these blokes rather difficult. Green also said that he's going to enjoy having some extra cash to head into the player market with, yet he'd know better than most that the Cowboys aren't exactly lacking in their roster.

Ben Hannant is knee-deep in a resurgent stage of his career and Scott Bolton rarely doesn't do his job. They are both veterans who could fill a hole, but it's the Cowboys' young forwards who will likely step up. John Asiata has emerged as a key figure off their bench in the past 18 months while we've seen Patrick Kaufusi make his debut last season, play again this season and represent Tonga this season. Not to mention Junior Kiwi Braden Uele who has been playing Intrust Super Cup footy with Mackay - Uele and Kaufusi will get a lot more game time.

It won't take much of a reshuffle for the Cowboys to cover the loss of Tamou as they have a very settled pack - hence they are a very, very good side. Gavin Cooper and Ethan Lowe both play 80 minutes, Taumalolo and Scott form 2/3's of the best middle combination in the NRL and they have rolled out the same bench of Hannant, Bolton and Asiata for much of the past 18 months. It's called succession planning and the Cowboys are perfectly poised to absorb Tamou's departure and will keep rolling on.

As for Tamou and the Panthers, this is a great move. Tamou will suddenly be thrown into a young side that needs a leader in their forward pack, someone who simply says 'follow me' and you can't go wrong with Tamou as he eats metres and is a brute on defence. Tamou also fits the style of the Panthers as he's got a bit of footwork and loves a cheeky offload. The Cowboys combined fluent attack with a stingey defence, but they certainly don't hold back with the footy and Tamou's all-round ability (hands, feet, size) perfectly fit their style.

While the Cowboys have the perfect balance, Penrith at at the extreme with their offloading and attacking play. Tamou will not only give them some starch through the middle, but he'll fit right in with their intent to attack, to score points.

Perhaps the scariest thing about Tamou's move to Penrith is the forward pack that the Panthers could roll out. Tamou will offer leadership and guidance to a group of young forwards that I consider to be the best in the NRL; Regan Campbell-Gillard, Leilani Latu, James Fisher-Harris, Bryce Cartwright, Isaah Yeo and Tyrone Peachey. Trent Merrin is there as well and I'm already excited to see this forward pack in action.

Right now, we know that Josh Mansour looks likely to join the Roosters and that James Segeyaro is being shopped around. Peter Wallace is off-contract and Jamie Soward could make way as well, with that in mind, here's a possible Penrith team for 2017.

Fullback: Matt Moylan
Wing: Dallin Watene-Zelezniak/Waqa Blake
Centre: Dean Whare/Peta Hiku
Halves: Te Maire Martin/Nathan Cleary
Prop: James Tamou/Reagan Campbell-Gillard
Hooker: Zach Dockar-Clay (/Sione Katoa) ... it'd be a lot better if Segeyaro just stayed.
Edge: Bryce Cartwright/Chris Grevsmuhl
Lock: Trent Merrin
Bench: Tyrone Peachey, Leilani Latu, James Fisher-Harris, Isaah Yeo.

That's a pretty formidable team and their potential is endless. It's a young team but they have experience through the middle with Tamou and Merrin both seasoned NRL forwards and while Moylan is a youngster, he's their skipper and is the current NSW fullback. There's a young tinge but much of this team are either in their prime years or entering their prime - just look at Cartwright, Campbell-Gillard and Grevsmuhl who have impressed as young NRL players and are now entering that stage where they are considered established NRL players.

This is why it's important for Cleary to play out the rest of the season in the halves at NRL level, especially if Soward won't be there next season. I'm a kiwi so I'd love to see Martin in there over Cleary if Soward hangs around but if Cleary plays the rest of the season in the NRL, then there will be the opportunity for him and Martin to build a lethal combination.

Earlier this year I highlighted the number of Maori players at Penrith and all funny business aside, it really doesn't matter whether you are a kiwi-Maori or an Aussie-Maori, you're still Maori and Tamou's presence only boosts Penrith's Maori stocks. Given that team I've named above, Penrith would have Watene-Zelezniak, Whare, Hiku, Martin, Tamou, Dockar-Clay and Fisher-Harris, that's seven Maori players ... almost half of the 17-man squad.

Don't sleep on Penrith making a play for Manaia Cherrington either, he's struggling for minutes behind Robbie Farah at Wests Tigers.