North Queensland Cowboys
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| Full name | North Queensland Cowboys Rugby League Club |
| Emblem | Cow horns |
| Colours | Navy, white, yellow and grey |
| Founded | 1995 |
| Sport | Rugby league |
| League | National Rugby League |
| Ground | Dairy Farmers Stadium (1995-current) |
| Capacity | 25,000 |
| CEO | Peter Parr (2006-current) |
| Captain | TBC |
| Coach | Graham Murray (2002-current) |
| 2006 | 9th |
| Premierships | Nil |
| Runners-Up | 2005 |
| Minor Premierships | Nil |
| Wooden Spoons | 3 |
| Biggest win | 60 - 8 vs. Souths, August 23, 2003 |
| Worst defeat | 4 - 66 vs. Bulldogs, August 27, 1995 |
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 in Thuringowa city (North Queensland). Although they have never won a premiership, the Cowboys were runners-up in 2005.
Contents
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[edit] History
[edit] 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.
[edit] 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.
[edit] 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.
[edit] 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 early in the 2003 season, and replaced by Graham Murray. The Cowboys spent much of the 2003 season in the top eight with much improved performances from a host of players, including local talents Matt Bowen and Josh Hannay. The 2003 season ended with the Cowboys four points adrift of a top eight 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 the team had posted only one victory. However, in a remarkable turnaround of form, the Cowboys were able to win 12 of their remaining games and finish in seventh position at the end of the home and away season. For the first time, the Cowboys were to part of final eight, and in the mix at business end of the season: the 2004 NRL finals series. Remarkably, the Cowboys' new status in the game afforded them their first free-to-air televised game in their history. Whilst Channel Nine had all but ignored the Townsville-based team, a place in the finals had the public beating the drum for coverage. This provided Channel Nine with a last minute opportuntity to jump on the Cowboys bandwagon, with Nine Commentator Ray "Rabbits" Warren branding the Cowboys as "2004's fairytale team". But for many fans throughout Queensland and in other states, such accolades were all to late from the NRL's chief free-to-air television provider who had failed to deliever coverage of the national competition.
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 controversially defeated by the Sydney Roosters 19-16. Many fans and media alike were disgruntled at the handling of the final minutes of the elimination game by referee Paul Simpkins, and his refusal to allow the Cowboys to pack a scrum with seconds left on the clock. Suggestions of a Sydney-bias by referee Simpkins have continued to overshadow both his career and what many fans regarded as a classic finals match. Clearly, the NRL was also unhappy with Simpkin's performance as he was not considered for the grand final refereeing duties.
[edit] 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.
[edit] 2006
The Cowboys started off the year by winning 6 straight games. One of the teams they defeated were the premiers, Broncos. They then fell into a hole winning only 5 of the last 19 games, making them 9th on the ladder, just missing out of the finals. Much criticism has been directed at coach Murray for not sticking with a stable scrumbase pairing throughout 2006, with a number of players such as Brett Firman and Brent McConnell unable to support the talents of playmaker Jonathon Thurston.
The Cowboys finished the final round of regular season with a convincing win over the Parramatta Eels to give their fans much hope for 2007. Particularly impressive were hooker Aaron Payne and Matthew Bowen, who recaptured some of his magic and regained some much needed form heading into the off season.
Other players who have impressed throughout 2006 include Australian representative player Luke O'Donnell, as well as Carl Webb who struggled for much of the year with injuries. The ever reliable Paul Bowman continued to show the hard fought spirit of the team despite a neck injury that struck him down at the close of the season.
Aaron Payne also capped off a strong year for the club to be named Cowboy of the Year for 2006.
[edit] Rumours, Drugs and Departures
To add to the frustration of some disappointing losses, mid-season rumours of Wayne Carey-style sexual affairs in the playing ranks derailed the Cowboys' 2006 finals hopes. After months of speculation of players cheating with other players' wifes and girlfriends, the Cowboys went public to quash the rumours and to appeal to the public for support of the team. A host of fans took to the local radio airwaves and via text messages to the Townsville Bulletin calling for the community to end the gossip and get behind the local team. Many fans, in particular Wayne "Mad Dog" Evans, made emotional pleas for sanity to prevail and the rumours to end. Evan's from-the-heart comments on local television and through the Townsville Bulletin were seen by many as the catalyst for fans to support the team. The move to go public by the Cowboys was seen as largely successful with many pundits - particularly The Courier Mail's sports editor Barry Dick - praising the administration nous of the Cowboys' CEO Peter Parr to deflect the heat off the team. But, the cuts were far too deep and the Cowboys failed to recover in time for a late push to the 2006 finals.
To cap off an already disappointing season, prop Mitchell Sargent failed an in-house drug test (the Cowboys first ever) testing positive to cocaine. The Cowboys wasted no time in sacking Sargent, who fled Townsville to escape the media hype and communities' frustration at another off-field drama. Sargent later admitted that he had taken cocaine at an after party following a loss. Sargent has since secured a contract with the Newcastle Knights, under strict conditions including random testing and counselling.
2006 also saw the departure of several key personal, including legendary strength and conditioner Billy Johnstone - to the Gold Coast Titans - and assistant coach Neil Henry accepted a head coaching position with the Canberra Raiders.
The Cowboys announced that tough talking former English Super League coach Ian Millward would replace Henry as Graham Murray's assistant, with Glen Murphy taking over from Johnstone.
[edit] Players Coming In 2007
Jason Smith (Canberra Raiders)
Scott Minto (Brisbane Broncos)
Ben Vaeau (Brisbane Broncos)
Joe Clarke (Brisbane Broncos)
Jackson Nicolau (Melbourne Storm)
Ben Farrar (Parramatta Eels)
Colin Wilkie (Melbourne Storm)
John Frith (Parramatta Eels)
Carl Johnson (North Sydney Bears)
Jared Lindley ([Camira Cougars])
[edit] Players Going In 2007
Matt Sing (Hull FC)
Josh Hannay ( Cronulla Sharks)
Gavin Cooper (Gold Coast Titans)
Clint Amos ( Gold Coast Titans)
Travis Norton (Retiring)
Mitchell Sargent (contract terminated for drug use-Joining Newcastle Knights)
[edit] 2006 Player Stats
| Player | App | Int | T | G | FG | Pts | Avg Tackles | Avg Hit Ups |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Matt Sing | 24 | 0 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 52 | 7.2 | 11.7 |
| Matthew Bowen | 24 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 3.6 | 16.8 |
| Travis Norton | 19 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 21.8 | 6.4 |
| Aaron Payne | 18 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 24 | 26.1 | 6.3 |
| Justin Smith | 17 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 14 | 26.3 | 10 |
| Johnathon Thurston | 17 | 0 | 11 | 49 | 0 | 142 | 11.6 | 10.2 |
| Paul Bowman | 16 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 16.9 | 13.5 |
| Luke O'Donnell | 16 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 20.3 | 18 |
| Carl Webb | 14 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14.4 | 12.4 |
| Ashley Graham | 14 | 0 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 24 | 10.1 | 10 |
| Shane Tronc | 13 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 25 | 15 |
| Neil Sweeny | 13 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 26 | 7.7 | 10.8 |
| Matthew Scott | 12 | 10 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 19.2 | 12.4 |
| Mitchell Sargent | 12 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 20.2 | 12.4 |
| Gavin Cooper | 12 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 22.3 | 11.3 |
| Steven Sothern | 9 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 21.7 | 7.5 |
| Josh Hannay | 9 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 0 | 12 | 12 | 7.3 |
| David Faiumu | 8 | 10 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 17.4 | 7.4 |
| Jacob Lillyman | 8 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 22.1 | 8.9 |
| Mark Henry | 7 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 16.4 | 12 |
| Brett Firman | 7 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 14.3 | 5.9 |
| Brenton Bowen | 7 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 2.3 | 14.6 |
| Ray Cashmere | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 17.2 | 14.2 |
| Ty Williams | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 9.2 | 10 |
| Brent McConnell | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 8 | 20.7 | 6 |
| Shane Muspratt | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 9 |
| Clint Amos | 1 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 18.2 | 4.2 |
| Rod Jensen | 0 | 12 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 22.7 | 8.5 |
| Robert Tanielu | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 9 |
| Daniel Strickland | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 19 | 2 |
Keys- App=Appearances, Int=Interchange, T=Tries, G=Goals, FG=Field Goals, Pts=Points, Avg Tackles=Average Tackles, Avg hit Ups=Average Hit Ups
[edit] Records and statistics
| Current Squad For 2007 Squad |
[edit] Individual
[edit] 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 |
| 2006 | Aaron Payne |
[edit] 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 Morrison, 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, Jacob Lillyman. |
[edit] Coaches
| Years | Coach |
|---|---|
| 1995 | Grant Bell |
| 1996 | Graham Lowe |
| 1997 - 2001 | Tim Sheens |
| 2001 - 2002 | Murray Hurst |
| 2002 - 2006 | Graham Murray |
[edit] 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) |
[edit] Most First Grade Games
| Games | Player |
|---|---|
| 182* | Paul Bowman |
| 150 | Josh Hannay |
| 131 | Peter Jones |
| 131* | Matthew Bowen |
| 104 | Matt Sing |
| 101 | John Buttigieg |
| 96* | Ty Williams |
- Note: Stats are up to end of season 2006, and * indicates player still playing with the North Queensland Cowboys.
[edit] Most Points
| Points | Player |
|---|---|
| 882 | Josh Hannay |
| 300 | Julian O'Neill |
| 292 | Matt Sing |
| 278* | Matt Bowen |
| 236* | Ty Williams |
Note - Stats up to end of 2006 season, and * indicated players still playing with North Queensland Cowboys
[edit] Team
[edit] Season results
Note: W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties
| Season | W | L | T | Finish | Playoff Results |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | 2 | 20 | - | 20/20 | -- |
| 1996 | 6 | 15 | - | 17/20 | -- |
| 1997 | 5 | 11 | 2 | 10/10 | -- |
| 1998 | 9 | 15 | - | 16/20 | -- |
| 1999 | 4 | 19 | 1 | 16/17 | -- |
| 2000 | 7 | 19 | - | 14/14 | -- |
| 2001 | 6 | 18 | 2 | 13/14 | -- |
| 2002 | 8 | 16 | - | 11/15 | -- |
| 2003 | 10 | 14 | - | 11/15 | -- |
| 2004 | 12 | 11 | 1 | 7/15 | Preliminary finalists |
| 2005 | 14 | 10 | - | 5/15 | Grand finalists |
| 2006 | 11 | 13 | - | 9/15 | -- |
[edit] 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 |
[edit] Biggest Losses
| Margin | Result | Venue | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62 | Canterbury Bulldogs beat North Queensland Cowboys 66-4 | Belmore Sports Ground | August 27, 1995 |
| 62 | Norths beat North Queensland Cowboys 62-0 | North Sydney Oval | August 23, 1998 |
| 56 | Canberra Raiders beat North Queensland Cowboys 66-10 | Bruce Stadium | April 14, 1996 |
| 54 | Norths beat North Queensland Cowboys Cowboys 60-6 | North Sydney Oval | April 16, 1995 |
| 54 | Brisbane Broncos beat North Queensland Cowboys 58-4 | ANZ Stadium | April 12, 1998 |
[edit] Most consecutive losses
- 10 - July 25 1998 to April 10 1999
[edit] Most consecutive wins
- 6 - March 12 2006 to April 16 2006
[edit] All Matches played since 1995
- Played - 288
- Won - 98
- Lost - 184
- Drawn - 6
- Points For - 5,442 (943 tries, 826 goals, 18 field goals)
- Points Against - 7,391 (1,300 tries, 1,086 goals, 19 field goals)
[edit] 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)
[edit] Sponsors
[edit] Jersey manufacturers
- Canterbury Clothing (1995-96)
- Nike (1997-98)
- FILA (1999-2001)
- Emu Sports Clothing (2002-2003)
- Concept Sports (2004-2005)
- Hummel International (2006-)
[edit] Principal sponsors
- XXXX Castlemaine Perkins (1995-1997)
- Overflow Discount Stores (1999-2000)
- CHR Employment Services (2001-2002)
- Toyota (2003-)
[edit] Sleeve sponsors
- Chill Malanda Flavoured Milk (1995-1996)
- Kentucky Fried Chicken (1999-2003)
- Q.L.D Group (2005-)
[edit] Shorts sponsors
- XXXX Castlemaine Perkins (1995-1996)
- Nike (1997-98)
- Rapid Road (2003-2004)
- Queensland Country Credit Union (2005-)
[edit] 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
[edit] External links
- North Queensland Cowboys Official Website
- Southern Stampede Supporters (Unofficial Cowboys Supporters Club)
- The Ranch
- 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
