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The North Queensland Cowboys are a rugby league team based in Townsville, Queensland Australia. They were admitted to the Australian Rugby League competition in 1995, and subsequently played in the Super League competition in 1997 and the National Rugby League from 1998 to the present day. The Cowboys play their home games at Dairy Farmers Stadium. Although they have never won a premiership, the Cowboys were runners-up in 2005.
History
1995, 1996: Origins
The Cowboys name and team colours were decided by public competition in 1994. Their initial jersey was navy blue and white, with grey stripes and yellow trim.One of the major difficulties that faced the club in their early years was attracting followers from the more established Brisbane Broncos. This was exacerbated by a lack of onfield success and stability. In their first two seasons, the Cowboys had seven different captains: Laurie Spina, Adrian Vowles, Dean Schifilliti, Jason Martin, Jonathan Davies, Bruce Sinclair, and Paul Galea.
1997: Super League
After much court action in 1995 and 1996, a ten team Super League competition was held in 1997. The Cowboys competed in this competition, and their squad was bolstered by a number of new signings including Ian Roberts and Steve Walters. They were unable to improve on the Cowboys results in previous years, and for the second time in three seasons they were to finish the season in last place.1998, 1999: National Rugby League
In 1998 the Super League and Australian Rugby League competitions merged to form the National Rugby League (NRL). The Cowboys began their first season in this competition strongly, and after six rounds they were in equal first place. Although they fell away later in the season, they were to record the largest come-back to date in an Australian first grade rugby league, match defeating the Penrith Panthers 36-28 after trailing 26-0 at half-time. 1998 also saw the Cowboys record their largest loss to date, being defeated 62-0 by the North Sydney Bears in the last round of the home and away season.The Cowboys signed their eleventh captain in 1999, Noel Goldthorpe. Paul Bowman was also to serve in that role during the season. Although their on-field performances were not spectacular continuing high attendance figures saw aggregate attendances exceed one million spectators.
2000-2004: Wooden spoon to finalists
In the years 2000 through to 2002 the Cowboys continued to struggle with off-field dramas and poor on-field performances. After finishing last in 2000 and second last the following year, four losses at the start of the 2002 season saw coach Tim Sheens sacked and replaced by his assistant Murray Hurst. Although they finished in their highest position to date, coach Hurst was also sacked at the end of the season, and replaced by Graham Murray. The Cowboys spent much of the 2003 season in the top eight, but ended the season four points short of a play-off position.More signings were made for 2004, including Travis Norton, Paul Rauhihi and Glenn Morrison. The club's tenth anniversary season began in much the same fashion as in earlier years, and after seven rounds they had won just one match. In a remarkable turnaround of form, the Cowboys were able to win 12 of their remaining games, finishing in seventh position at the end of the home and away season. For the first time, they were to play in the finals series.
In their first finals match they played a Qualifying Final against the eventual premiers Bulldogs at Telstra Stadium. Against expectation the Cowboys defeated the Bulldogs 30-22. A week later at Dairy Farmers Stadium in Townsville they defeated the Brisbane Broncos 10-0 in a Semi-Final. This was the first time that they had ever defeated the Broncos. The road to the grand final ended for the Cowboys when they were defeated by the Sydney Roosters 19-16.
2005: Grand finalists
The Cowboys followed their success in 2004 by opening their season with nine straight victories. They finished the 2005 season in fifth place, after 14 wins and 10 losses. The team's performance led to six Cowboys being represented in the Queensland State of Origin team: Paul Bowman, Matt Bowen, Ty Williams, Johnathan Thurston, Matt Sing and Carl Webb. Thurston was also rewarded by winning the NRL's best and fairest player award: the Dally M Medal.In the first week of the finals the Cowboys travelled to Telstra Stadium where they were defeated by Wests Tigers 50-6. They were more successful in their second and third weeks of the finals, in which they defeated the Melbourne Storm and Parramatta Eels and qualified for the NRL Grand Final for the first time.
The grand final saw them once more facing the Tigers. Although Matthew Bowen scored the first try of the match, the Tigers were too strong for the Cowboys and won the match 30-16.
Records and statistics
| Current Squad | Squad
Individual
Best and fairest player
| Year | Player |
|---|---|
| 1995 | Wayne Sing |
| 1996 | Steve Edmed |
| 1997 | Owen Cunningham |
| 1998 | John Lomax |
| 1999 | Paul Bowman |
| 2000 | Paul Bowman and Julian O'Neill |
| 2001 | Glenn Morrison |
| 2002 | Matt Sing |
| 2003 | Paul Rauhihi |
| 2004 | Luke O'Donnell |
| 2005 | Johnathan Thurston |
Representative players
| Team | Name |
|---|---|
| Australia | Steve Walters, Matt Sing, Matt Bowen, Luke O'Donnell, Johnathan Thurston |
| New Zealand | John Lomax, Brian Jellick, Paul Rauhihi, David Faiumu |
| Wales | Kevin Ellis |
| New South Wales | Ian Roberts, Tim Brasher, Luke O'Donnell |
| New South Wales Country | Glenn Morrisson, Mitchell Sargent |
| New South Wales City | Luke O'Donnell |
| Queensland | Owen Cunningham, Steve Walters, Paul Green, Julian O'Neill, Paul Bowman, John Doyle, John Buttiegig, Nathen Fein, Matt Sing, Josh Hannay, Matt Bowen, Travis Norton, Ty Williams, Johnathan Thurston, Carl Webb, Matt Scott, Dylan White |
Coaches
| Years | Coach |
|---|---|
| 1995 | Grant Bell |
| 1996 | Graham Lowe |
| 1997 - 2001 | Tim Sheens |
| 2001 - 2002 | Murray Hurst |
| 2002 - present | Graham Murray |
Representative coaching staff
| Team | Name |
|---|---|
| New South Wales | Tim Sheens (coach) Graham Murray (coach) |
| New South Wales City | Graham Murray (coach) Glen Murphy (trainer) |
| Queensland | Murray Hurst (assistant coach) Billy Johnstone (trainer) Neil Henry (assistant coach) |
| Tonga | Murray Hurst (coach) |
Most first grade games
| Games | Player |
|---|---|
| 166* | Paul Bowman |
| 141* | Josh Hannay |
| 131 | Peter Jones |
| 107* | Matthew Bowen |
| 101 | John Buttigieg |
- Note: These stats are up to season 2005 and that the players with * are still playing NRL rugby league.
Most points
| Points | Player |
|---|---|
| 858 | Josh Hannay |
| 300 | Julian O'Neill |
| 272 | Matt Sing |
| 266 | Matt Bowen |
| 236 | Ty Williams |
Team
Season results
Biggest wins
| Margin | Result | Venue | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 52 | North Queensland Cowboys def. South Sydney Rabbitohs 60-8 | Dairy Farmers Stadium | 23 August 2003 |
| 46 | North Queensland Cowboys def. St. George Illawarra Dragons 50-4 | Dairy Farmers Stadium | 29 April 2000 |
| 42 | North Queensland Cowboys def. Cronulla Sharks 56-14 | Dairy Farmers Stadium | 4 June 2005 |
| 40 | North Queensland Cowboys def. Northern Eagles 50-10 | Dairy Farmers Stadium | 25 March 2000 |
| 36 | North Queensland Cowboys def. Bulldogs 48-12 | Carrara Stadium | 27 May 2005 |
Most consecutive losses
- 10 - July 25 1998 to April 10 1999
Full premiership record since 1995
- Played - 274
- Won - 94
- Lost - 174
- Drawn - 6
- Points For - 5,232 (904 tries, 799 goals, 18 field goals)
- Points Against - 7,072 (1,246 tries, 1,036 goals, 16 field goals)
Team of the Decade (1995-2004)
In 2004, the North Queensland Cowboys conducted a poll asking NQ fans to vote on the best players who ever wore Cowboy colours. After polling had finished the North Queensland franchise released the overall best team to celebrate their first 10th anniversary.- Matt Bowen
- Ty Williams
- Josh Hannay
- Paul Bowman
- Matt Sing
- Julian O'Neill
- Laurie Spina
- John Buttigieg
- Steve Walters
- Paul Rauhihi
- Kevin Campion
- Peter Jones
- Glenn Morrison
- Graham Murray (Coach)
Sponsors
=Jersey manufacturers
=- Canterbury Clothing (1995-96)
- Nike (1997-98)
- FILA (1999-2001)
- Emu Sports Clothing (2002-2003)
- Concept Sports (2004-2005)
- Hummel International (2006-)
=Principal sponsors
=- XXXX Castlemaine Perkins (1995-1997)
- Overflow Discount Stores (1999-2000)
- CHR Employment Services (2001-2002)
- Toyota (2003-)
=Sleeve sponsors
=- Chill Malanda Flavoured Milk (1995-1996)
- Kentucky Fried Chicken (1999-2003)
- Q.L.D Group (2005-)
=Shorts sponsors
=- XXXX Castlemaine Perkins (1995-1996)
- Nike (1997-98)
- Rapid Road (2003-2004)
- Queensland Country Credit Union (2005-)
References
- The Official NRL 2003 Season Guide
- The Official NRL 2004 Season Guide
- The Official NRL 2005 Season Guide
- 2004 Official Rugby League Annual Big League Special Edition
- 2005 Official Rugby League Annual Big League Special Edition
- History of Rugby League Clubs in Australia (Book)Author: Sean Fagan
- Super League The Magazine Volume 1 - 20
External links
- North Queensland Cowboys Official Website
- Southern Stampede Supporters (Unofficial Cowboys Supporters Club)
- North Queensland Cowboys Club History
- Australian Rugby League Results History
- Australian Rugby League
- Queensland Rugby League
- National Rugby League
- Rugby League History - Since 1908
- North Queensland Cowboys Stats
- Australian Rugby League Logos
Australian rugby league clubs | National Rugby League | Sport in Queensland | 1995 establishments
"North Queensland Cowboys"