"I hate the Broncos so I'm looking forward to playing against them next week," Dearden said, to finish a moment of pure theatre in the post-match press conference after the Cowboys' 36-16 loss to the Dolphins in Brisbane on Sunday.
Dearden was answering a question about the prospect of playing Brisbane in the Queensland derby on Saturday night in Townsville.
"I'll answer that for him," Payten interjected.
"Everybody hates the Broncos ... everyone north of Brisbane."
There was a tongue in cheek element in the remark but it also contained a brutal truth.
The Cowboys v Broncos showdown will be one of the most eagerly anticipated in history.
A loss for Brisbane, needing seven wins out of seven to play in the finals, will end their title defence.
A loss for the eighth-placed Cowboys will open the door for the chasing teams Manly, Canterbury, Melbourne, Canberra - and the Broncos - to catch them.
Aside from the fact that Dearden was let go by the Broncos, where he debuted, before forging a career at the Cowboys, the history around the encounter is rich.
When the Cowboys, founded in 1995, beat the Broncos 10-0 in Townsville in the 2004 semi-final it was their first win over their nemesis in 17 attempts.
They have won 20 of the next 48 games against Brisbane, including the 2015 grand final in golden point courtesy of a Johnathan Thurston field goal, to confirm their own credentials as an NRL force.
No longer is it little brother versus big brother. Both clubs are major players in the NRL, although the Broncos with seven titles are clearly the most successful.
If Brisbane win on Saturday night, they will be just four points behind the Cowboys and a red hot chance of hauling them in.
"It is an important game in our season," Dearden said.
"Playing the Broncos in the derby up there is probably one of the biggest regular season games for us and we are looking forward to it. We will have a packed-out stadium and we will be definitely looking to bounce back from what we tossed up tonight."
Dearden returned at half against the Dolphins after a 10-week lay-off with an ankle injury, and scored the first try before setting up the second with a deft kick.
"Tonight was just (about) getting back on the field," he said.
"Being out for a bit of time, it felt good to be back out there. Performance-wise there is still a bit of rust there and things to work on. I will build on that performance for next week."
